


To Feel Time and See the Stars

by Covert_dragon97



Series: The Wolf and the Trickster [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Crossover, Deviates From Canon, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Roski, Slow Burn, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-07 11:09:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12839916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Covert_dragon97/pseuds/Covert_dragon97
Summary: What if Rose Tyler lived in the same world as the Avengers? A Doctor Who/Avengers crossover. Primarily follows the Avengers story line. Slow build with the Rose/Loki pairing.This is my first time writing, so comments welcomed!8/26/18 - completely rewritten, still very similar but changed a few things and added some scenes.





	1. Stuttgart, Germany

**Author's Note:**

> Still figuring out this posting on this site, so please don't judge any grammar mistakes too harshly.
> 
> I own nothing from Doctor Who nor the Avengers, although I wish I could meet the characters for real :)

I never really liked Germany. I especially didn’t like stuffy galas such as the one I was forced to attend in Stuttgart tonight. Damn it, I’m Rose Tyler, Defender of Earth and head of Torchwood’s top field team! This usually meant I was the one out in the field on a mission protecting the Earth - and not dragged into the political side of Torchwood’s diplomatic affairs; that was Pete’s area of expertise. 

The original plan was for Pete Tyler, my adoptive father, to attend tonight’s gala to mingle and help raise support for a new Torchwood initiative for the public. He was the Director of the Torchwood Institute and all, everyone would expect him to be there. However the world is a strange and unpredictable place.

You’d think I would know that plans go how you want them to, but hey, I’m only human and an optimist to a fault. Pete had been called back to Torchwood Prime in London two days ago due to a temporal anomaly that popped up over in the states. Luckily, I was nearby wrapping up a mission and could step in for him. Lucky for him I mean, rather unfortunate for me.

I would much rather be looking into the anomaly, that’s what I was good at after all; it was what I had devoted my life to for the last five years. But unfortunately it occurred on American soil. Interactions with the Americans were tense lately with the continuing rise of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistic Division’s power (or S.H.I.E.L.D. if you didn’t feel like spitting out that mouthful), and it would be difficult to get much information out of them without some major political negotiating (which has never been my strong suit). Although not as cooperative as the UNified Intelligence Taskforce, or U.N.I.T., that I preferred, there wasn’t a U.N.I.T. in this universe. Whereas U.N.I.T and Torchwood had gotten along mostly fine in my home universe before the...well, before I came here, Torchwood and S.H.I.E.L.D. did not. Although I’m sure they knew we held an under-the-radar albeit very prominent position in Europe, they pretended that they were the only thing standing between the earth and world domination.

Funny how world domination comes at you when you least expect it.

Upon Pete’s request I had made the short trip to Stuttgart to attend the gala. All I had to do was show up for an hour or two and play nice with all of the black-ties and formal gowns admiring the string quartet or make shallow small talk over glasses of champagne. I hated events such as these. After seeing other worlds and cultures on a daily basis, human galas were more than just boring: they were so...domestic.

After about an hour of drinks and small talk, there was still plenty of time for me to make my rounds with the appropriate people before leaving this dreadful ballroom and heading back to my hotel room; might as well somewhat enjoy myself for the time being. I didn’t have many occasions that required me to wear anything outside of my Torchwood tactical gear, let alone a fancy dress. Or an excuse to drink wine on duty. Left me feeling a little exposed though, stuck in heels and a dress instead of my favored tactical uniform and weapons. In my experience, the one time I didn’t come prepared would be the time I needed it most.

Still, I couldn’t remember the last time I attended a fancy social gathering like this. I got to pull out my favorite tardis blue dress for tonight; a simple toga style, with flecks of silver blended in. The top half of my hair was pulled back, the rest floated around my shoulders and face in neatly made tendrils. 

After finally striking up a conversation with everyone I needed to, I planned on heading back to my hotel before I made any decisions I’d regret. While finishing up my glass fourth glass of wine, I head up a flight of stairs, stopping at a balcony overlooking the ballroom, my eyes darting around. Something had been nagging at me the last couple minutes - as if something was off. Sweeping my eyes over the crowd, the only thing that had changed was another professor stepping up to make a speech. The string quartet had begun playing Schubert, which helps calm my nerves.

Finally deciding I was only paranoid, I make a move to turn around, only to collide straight into a cold, unyielding, wall. Only it wasn’t a wall. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I realized the nagging feeling I had wasn’t coming from anyone down there, it was coming from the figure now standing before me.

An apology jumps out of me as I take a few steps backwards, my estate accent slipping out. “Sorry, mate. Didn’t see you there.”

The stranger says nothing, just looks at me. Several different emotions seem to cross his face in the few seconds in takes me to get a truly good look at him. At first, he seemed offended that I had dare breathe the same air as him. It then shifted to annoyed, as if I had interrupted an incredibly important thought. Finally, his expression became quizzical, like I had suddenly become the most interesting person in the room.

He was the classically tall, dark, and handsome type. Shoulder length raven black hair slicked back from his face. Pristine black suit and tie accented with a green scarf and covered by a long black coat. In his hand he held a strange looking cane.  _ Wait, no, not a cane, _ I thought to myself. It was the same length of a cane, but it was all gold with a large, glowing blue jewel and point where a handle should be, more like a highly advanced scepter.  _ Not just advanced, that’s alien tech, _ I thought.  _ Could he be related to the anomaly? _

I cast a glance back over the ballroom. “Hiding up here cause you hate these events too?” I don’t get a response, he just continues looking at me with an unnerving amount of interest. 

“It’s just a bunch of people weaseling their way into the good graces of those with a better position. I doubt more than 10 people here actually care about the cause this gala is supporting. Then again, I shouldn’t say too much. I’m just here to talk business with a handful of people. Come to think of it, I never asked what the gala was for…”

As I spoke, he had taken a silent step towards me. My eyes leave the ballroom and finally meet his. I wasn’t prepared for his intense gaze when my amber eyes met his green ones. He had dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept well -- if at all -- in a long time. I probably should’ve been afraid of this man: all the signs screamed  _ alien! _ and  _ Danger! _ But all I felt was a strange thrill I hadn’t felt since my days traveling with the Doctor.

“You admit to weaseling your way into the good graces of others then?” His voice was low and smooth, like silk. 

“I never said that. But I don’t pretend to be any better than they are.”

“Why pretend to be just another human, when it is painfully obvious that you are anything but common.” His eyes narrow as speaks. “I can see it in your eyes, in the way your body moves without any conscious thought. You’ve seen things, haven’t you? Things these pitiful mortals would never even dream of.”

I stand flabbergasted as this stranger reads me with ease.

“Alas, I too came here for business. It has truly been a pleasure. Excuse me.” And with a short bow he turned around and walked away.

I just stood there, dumbfounded that he could tell so much about me from such a short interaction, and I realized that this would not be a run-of-the-mill mission. 

In the time it took me to absorb and process all of this information, the man had made his way downstairs to the ballroom. Everything turned into chaos when he reached the bottom of the staircase, walking up to a guard and swinging his scepter to connect with the man’s face, throwing him several feet away onto the floor. From there it was almost a blur how fast he managed to make his way to the speaker and drag him by the back of his neck to the center of the room, in which there was an ornate stone statue with a flat empty space in the middle of it. Upon reaching the statue he flipped the speaker across the top, holding him down with one hand and pulling something out of his suit pocket with his other. It was a strange whirling device that the stranger jabbed into the speaker’s eye socket without hesitation.

I immediately switch into Torchwood mode, reaching into my clutch and pulling out my mobile to phone for backup, keeping one eye on the dangerous stranger who watched the chaos with a smug grin on his face. The gala participants had all managed to run out of the building in an ipressivly short time, making me the last to leave the building. Moving as fast as I could in this dress and these damn heels, silently cursing myself for leaving my sidearm in my hotel room, I chase after the stranger.

The stranger follows the crowd out, his form glistening over with gold, his clothes transforming into emerald and gold armor with a long green cape and a helmet with curved horns; his staff lengthening to a full size. The crowd from the gala was huddled in the middle of the street, trying to get away from the stranger who simply continued walking towards the group. A police car rounded the corner, responding to one of the many emergency calls the frantic crowd had made. The stranger simply pointed his staff at it and a blast of blue energy shot out and hit the car, flipping it over onto its top.

_ Alien? _ I wondered. A human wouldn’t have his physical power, or the means to the technology his staff presented.

Suddenly the crowd was surrounded by another version of the stranger, then another, and another. “Kneel before me,” he commands. The people didn’t seem to hear him, and continue looking like panicked rabbits.

“I said,” he tries again, stomping his scepter on the ground and making the blue jewel shine brighter on each of his copies. “KNEEL!” he bellows. 

Terrified, the crowd does as he says. He seems appeased by their action, his face breaking into a smile. “Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power. Your identity… you were made to be ruled.”

While he had been screaming and monologuing, I had run over and hid behind a car where I had a view of the whole situation and could dash in or out if needed. For the moment, I planned on staying put; backup was still at least 15 minutes away, and I was unarmed. 

The stranger continues, “In the end, you will always kneel.” This last sentence didn’t seem to sit well with an older man in the center of the crowd, who slowly stood up and replies “Not to men like you.”

The alien smiles at the old man. “There are no men like me.”

“There are always men like you.”

“Look to your elder people, let him be your example.” The stranger points his staff at the old man. My body knew what I had to do before my mind really did, bad habit of traveling with the Doctor. I run, charging full speed towards the alien, grabbing the staff with all my strength and pointing it away from the people.  A blast of blue energy was fired into the sky, missing the man by several feet.

“Insolent human!” He throws me to the ground, pointing his scepter at my chest. Recognition flicks across his eyes when he looks down at me. “But you do have heart…” this was said only loud enough for me to hear. Before I can react he places the tip of his staff to my chest, pressing it hard enough to make me wince. The jewel glows a little brighter once again, and I can feel a strange energy passing through me from my heart towards my head. Once it reaches my head though, I’m overwhelmed by pain and a voice screaming at me words I couldn’t understand. Not just a bad headache though, but a horrible burning feeling. I cried out in pain, squeezing my eyes shut and arching my back. 

When I reopen them, my vision is slightly blurry. I can tell the stranger is still standing over me. Before he can say anything, a circular shield hits him square in the chest, knocking him away from me onto his back before rebounding to a blur of a man dressed in all red, white, and blue. 

“You know, the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing,” the blurry form says with an American accent. 

“The soldier.” The alien states with some amusement as he stood up to face this new opponent. “The man out of time…” 

“I’m not the one who’s out of time.” The soldier and Loki began trading blows, the copies that had been surrounding the crowd disappearing as the people disperse and run away.

I was still lying on the ground, the burning in my skull making my head throb. The burning felt familiar somehow, as if I’d felt it before. Memories of my first Doctor flashed in front of me: of daleks taking over Satellite 1; of breaking the TARDIS console open; of seeing Time itself, hearing it howl inside of me as I absorbed the Time Vortex; of a kiss that took it away; of a little part hiding dormant inside of me.

I remember. I remember everything. The Doctor had regenerated trying to save me. But he didn’t get it all out.  _ Bad Wolf was still inside me. I am the Bad Wolf. _

A jet floats down from the sky, shining a spotlight down on the stranger and breaking me out of my thoughts. A woman’s voice plays over the loudspeaker “Loki, drop the weapon and stand down.”

My vision finally starts to clear up as I look up the alien.  _ Loki? As in the Norse god of mischief? This is definitely going to be an interesting night _ . 

I manage to crawl over to a small flight of stairs close enough to still see everything that happened but still a safe distance away from the fight. Taking a deep breath, I sat up and looked around. Loki and the soldier were still fighting, but were soon joined by none other than the infamous Tony Stark in his Iron Man armor, who shot Loki with a blast that knocks him within arm’s reach of me.

“Make a move reindeer games,” Tony challenges, pointing several different weapons systems at Loki. Loki, sitting on the same steps as me, slowly raises his hands in surrender. His form once again glistens over with gold and his armor shifts, his helmet and cape disappearing. He glances between the soldier and Tony before casting a quick glance at me. His eyes full of interest.

The pain has decreased to a dull pulsing ache in the back of my skull. I couldn’t tell why he was looking at me like that, even though something felt….different. That’s when I heard it, the song of the Tardis, the song of Time, humming in my head. I look down at my hands and saw a faint golden glow across my skin.“What did you do to me?” I whisper to no one in particular, since the one person who probably knew the answer was in a whole separate universe.

“I’m not sure,” Loki answers, thinking I was addressing him.

The soldier walks over and kneels down beside me. “Ma’am, are you alright? Are you hurt?” 

“No, yeah, I’m fine. Thanks,” I say, clenching my fists and watching the gold glow fade away.


	2. Questions in the Quinjet

 

Even after insisting I was fine and that backup was on the way, Tony Stark ultimately dragged me into their jet along with Loki. He claimed it was for medical reasons, but I had my doubts. 

I sat on one side of the quinjet, as Tony called it, facing Loki who sat on the opposite side. He stares at his feet for most of the trip, but I could feel his eyes on me whenever I wasn’t looking.

Tony had removed his helmet and said something to the pilot I couldn’t overhear before walking over to my side of the plane. “Rose Tyler, you’re rather far from home aren’t you?” he says with a smirk.

“Oh, I always win that contest Tony,” I tease back. I’d met Tony several years ago at another private event sponsored by Stark Industries, after he had already become the Iron Man. We’d hit it off almost immediately and become good friends.We had quite a bit in common, both running large organizations and both with a strong desire to keep people safe. Even though he was a enormous flirt with an even larger ego, he was often one of the few I could talk to about some of my projects in the lab. He also reminded me of an old friend with similarly large ego and knack for creating things others saw as crazy.

“What were you even doing there tonight Rose? You could’ve been killed! As it is, I’m still not convinced you’re okay.” 

“Really Tony, ‘m fine. I can handle myself, you know that. And how was I supposed to know a freakishly domestic gala would turn into, well, this?” I gesture to Loki and the quinjet. “Right now though, I just want a phone so I can call base and update them on the current situation.”

“Base? What base? Are you with MI6?” The soldier walks up next to Tony, a slightly optimistic tone to his voice. He was wearing a red, white, and blue uniform with a star in the middle. Americans were anything but subtle about their patriotism.

He holds his hand out in introduction. “Captain Steve Rogers ma’am, pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry we disturbed your night.”

Inwardly, I laugh. He must have thought I was just another rich friend of Tony’s. Deciding to have just a little bit of fun, I switch over to Torchwood mode.

I stand up and took his hand. “General Rose Tyler,” I smile as he snaps to attention at the mention of my superior rank. I could feel Loki’s eyes on me as well with my change of demeanor. “At ease, Captain,” my attention back on the star spangled soldier in front of me. “And no, not part of MI6. Don’t think I’d have it in me for spying and espionage. The base I meant was the Torchwood base back in London. Since this incident occurred outside the states I’m afraid S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t claim complete jurisdiction on this one. However, I am happy to play nice and work out a compromise. I’m afraid we’re going to need all the help we can get.” This last sentence was almost a whisper, my gaze flickering back over to Loki who was still watching me intently. “How long until we reach our destination?” 

“About an hour, give or take,” Captain Rogers answers, still looking at me kind of funny. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with Torchwood, General Tyler.”

I wave my hand as he addresses me by my official title. “Please, just call me Rose. No need for all the formality.”

“All right then...Rose. What is Torchwood? A private military service?”

“In a way, I guess you could call it that. The Torchwood Institute investigates and contains unknown substances or objects, especially those that pose a possible threat to humanity or don’t originate on Earth. For instance, if a meteor lands, we make sure it isn’t radioactive, or contain biochemical accidents from harming ships - you get the idea.” Inwardly, I smile to myself at Torchwood’s cover story. After five years of lying about Torchwood’s true purpose, it still made me chuckle every time.

“So why would Torchwood be claiming jurisdiction about a fight in the street?” The captain asks.

I smile. Not the polite smile from before, but a large wolf’s smile. Lowering my voice, “I think you and I both know, Captain, that our current situation both poses a threat to humanity and does not originate from Earth, yeah?”

Tony just smirks at the Captain’s somewhat shocked expression before clapping him on the back. “She’s good. Much smarter than she looks too.”

“Wow, Tony. Nice to know you think so highly of me,” I sarcastically comment. 

“Going to be a long ride back, I should check in with the Director,” the Captain excuses himself.

“And I’ve got to make sure he doesn’t get the whole story wrong,” Tony winks at me.

While the two men stepped into the cockpit, I turn my attention to the green clad individual sitting opposite of me. I had felt his eyes on my as I explained Torchwood to Captain Rogers, and still could when I wasn’t looking directly at him. The way he looked at me was slightly unnerving, but not all that unusual. I dealt with alien species everyday, I remind myself. This isn’t any different.

“Is this seat taken?” I gesture to the empty spot next to him. Everything about him seemed to somehow reminded me of… of  _ him _ . He was alone; he’d seen the darkness, but instead of fighting against it he had succumbed to its draw. I still wondered if the “god” trait was true. I had heard of Asgard in this world, but mostly just in mythology and rumors.

He glances up at me. “Not as if I’m in a state to stop you, am I?” 

Ignoring the comment, I sit down next to him anyway. A few moments of silence follow before I finally decide to try to break the ice. “I feel ridiculous in this dress right now. Everyone else is in their armor and gear, makes me feel almost...naked.”

Several moments pass, and I was starting to think I’d never get him to talk when he replies, “Blue isn’t really my color.”

I couldn’t hold back the smile that spreads over my face. “Figures you’d only focus on the sentence involving me feeling naked. Just like a man! Let me guess, you’d prefer green, yeah?”  _ What the hell are you doing? Flirting with this man? Just because he’s an alien with a god complex doesn’t make him like the Doctor! _ My brain screams but I choose to ignore it.

Loki finally turns and fixes his emerald eyes on my amber ones. “I would have thought gold was more your color, eh, little wolf?” His previous neutral, passive expression was gone, replaced with a smug grin: as if he knew a secret he wasn’t supposed to know. 

“Oh, my scepter may not have given me control of your mind, but it still let me see into your thoughts, if but for a moment; to see memories that had been tucked away behind a closed door. To see the power contained inside you. Oh, what I could do with the power that runs through those veins!”

“It would destroy you.” I state bluntly, if not sadly. I’d seen it first hand, how it had killed the Doctor in his leather jacket form, this bit of the time vortex that had been in my head.  _ Not had been...was in my head _ \- my subconscious pointed out. 

“It didn’t destroy him though, did it? That Doctor you love so much. He survived, didn’t he?”

My hands clench into fists at the mention of the man who haunted my dreams. “He didn’t know he would. He did it to save me…” I take a deep breath and slap him in the arm. “Oi! And next time: ask before you go snooping around in my head. It ain’t polite ya know.” I let my estate accent slip out, trying to change the subject off of the super-powerful time energy in my brain.

“Next time little wolf?”

We were interrupted by a large crack of lightning and the boom of thunder that followed. His cool countenance disappeared as fast as the lightning. He leaned forward, looking up at the roof. 

“Where is this coming from?” I heard a female say from the cockpit.

Tony and Captain Rogers broke away from their conversation and looked our way. “What’s the matter, scared of a little lightning?” Captain Rogers mocks.

“I’m not overly fond of what follows.” Loki replies, looking nervously back at the roof. More lightning and thunder erupt around the plane. 

Suddenly, something crashes onto the roof with a loud thump, making the whole plane jolt. Tony and Captain Rogers both grab their helmets, preparing for battle. 

“See, naked.” I mutter to no one in particular. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a smirk cross Loki’s face, if only for a second.

Now in full Iron Man armor, Tony opens the back hatch and walked towards it to face whatever had made that thump.

“What’re you doing?” the Captain calls after him.

Without thinking I leaned closer to Loki. Just because I was accustomed to being jerked around and thrown all over in the Tardis, it was a completely different matter in a plane with the back open and two superheroes about to face off. I still had nightmares about getting sucked into the Void: a black hole that led to never ending nothing. Subconsciously, my hand searched for anything to grab onto, finding Loki’s hand and firmly grasping it in my own. A small gasp escapes me at the cold temperature of his hand. To my surprise he didn’t brush it away, but ever so slightly squeezes back, casting me a strange look as he takes in the somewhat terrified expression on my face.

As soon as Tony reaches the back of the plane, a large figure lands on the walkway. He was a tall, very muscular man with shoulder length blond hair. He wore armor similar in style to Loki’s, except it was silver and blue with a red cape billowing behind him. In his hand he carried a large hammer, and he looked annoyed at best, angry at worst. Loki’s expression changes from nervous to worried at the sight of the new man. 

What appears to be another Asgardian proceeds to advance up the walkway. Tony raises his arm, a warning to stop him from continuing any further. The Asgardian didn’t take the hint, instead tossing his hammer into Tony’s chest, knocking him back into Captain America. The Asgardian strides over and grabs Loki by the neck, dragging him back out the plane. Loki’s hand was yanked from mine. 

“No, don’t!” I shout. I reach out to grab Loki back in, managing to get ahold of his cape. But the other Asgardian was stronger than I anticipated; as he pulls Loki out I lose my footing and fall out of the plane into the starless sky.

  
  
   


	3. Eavesdropping

It felt like the void all over again. I reach out to grab anything to keep me from plunging to my death, and felt a hand wrap around my arm. I couldn’t even scream, my throat was closed from fear.

Thankfully the jet had been flying low and under the radar, meaning the fall was over in less than a minute. The Asgardian skid to a stop on his feet, practically throwing Loki onto the ground upon landing, and me along with him. Before crashing to the ground, Loki wraps his arms around me, pulling me close. Luckily I landed on top of him, otherwise, I would’ve been crushed by his body landing on mine. Loki moans in pain beneath me. Even if he was a god, I’m sure that landing hurt at least a little.

He roughly pushes me off as the other Asgardian approaches. The force of it sends me rolling away until I hit a large rock. I can feel the warm sticky blood begin trailing down my temple from the impact.  _ Breathe, just breathe, _ I think. I go through a mental checklist, making sure I still had all my appendages and such.  _ Feet: check. Legs: check. Arms: check. Body: sore, but nothing feels broken. Head - still throbbing. _

I open my eyes to do a quick visual check for any distending bones or bleeding. The soft golden glow I had seen in the street had returned. Despite my fuzzy vision and pounding headache, I manage to stay calm, taking deep breaths to center myself. The golden glow slowly fades away as I breathe, allowing me to finally remember where I am.

Whilst I was making sure I wasn’t missing any body parts, Loki was still lying on the ground grunting from the fall. The other Asgardian stands a few feet away with his weapon held at the ready in a fighting stance.

“Where is the tesseract?” he demands.

Loki lets out a slight chuckle. “Nice to see you too, brother.”

“Do I look to be in a gaming mood!” his brother shouts back. I tried to think back to what little I knew of Norse mythology.  _ Loki’s brother….wields a giant hammer….guess I’ve met Thor now too. _ I was definitely going to have to add to Torchwood’s list of known planets and aliens.

“You should be thanking me.” Loki tries to sit up. “With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the Allfather have to muster to conjure you here - your precious earth?”

At this, Thor drops his hammer and grabs Loki by his armor, lifting him the rest of the way up off the ground. “I thought you dead,” he says sadly.

“Did you mourn?”

“We all did. Our father…”

“Your father!” Loki interrupts with a finger, brushing Thor’s hands off and walking past him, stretching and holding his back, assumedly still sore from the fall. _He’s leading Thor away from me,_ I thought.  “He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?”

“We were raised together. We played together. We fought together! Do you remember none of that?” Thor continues, shouting loudly.

Loki turns back around to face him. “I remember a shadow. Living in the shade of your greatness. I remember you tossing me into an abyss. I was, and should be, king!”

“So you take the world I love as recompense for your imagined slights? No! The earth is under my protection, Loki.”

Loki just laughs. Inwardly, I do too.  _ Under your protection indeed! I’m the defender of this Earth thank you very much! I don’t see your ass hunting down weevils every other day now do I? _

“And you’re doing a marvelous job with that!” Loki scoffs. “The humans slaughter each other in droves while you idly fret. I mean to rule them! And why should I not?”

“You think yourself above them?” Thor asks, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Loki pauses, looking dumbfounded that he would even ask such a question. “Well, yes.”

“Then you miss the truth of ruling brother. The throne would suit you ill.”

At that, Loki snarls and pushes Thor out of his way, stalking back towards me. I was slightly surprised that neither had really stopped to notice I was there, but I was very interested to see where this was going, and it was a fantastic way to get insight on these two alien life forms.

“I’ve seen worlds you’ve never known about! I have grown, Odin-son, in my exile. I have seen the true power of the tesseract, and when I wield it…”

“Who showed you this power?” Interrupts Thor as he walks back up to Loki. “Who controls the would be king?”  
“I AM A KING!” Loki roars. 

“Not here!” Thor shouts back, pointing a finger into Loki’s chest. “You give up the tesseract! You give up this pointless dream! You come home.” He almost sounds like he’s pleading.

All of Loki’s rage vanishes and the smug arrogance returns. With a grin he replies, “I don’t have it.” Thor backs away and assumes a fighting stance, his hammer flying off the ground into his hand.  

“You need the cube to send me home, but I’ve sent it off I know not where.”

_ The tesseract is a portal! _ I thought.  _ What if it’s the key to getting me back to the Doctor? _

Thor points his hammer at Loki. “You listen well brother…” But before he could finish his sentence, Iron Man slams into him, both disappearing off of the cliff face.

“I’m listening,” Loki says. I can’t help but let out a soft giggle at that. His attention turns fully to me now, just sitting with my back propped up against the rock, barely staying conscious. I was exhausted: both physically and mentally. It had probably been 24 hours since I last slept - I had gone straight from a long drawn out mission to the gala. Add awakening the time vortex inside my head and getting thrown out of a plane; the amount of stress my body had been through should’ve had me passed out on my ass hours ago. It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open, and staying focused on objects was even harder. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been so drained.

Loki walks over and squats down near me. I glance up at him with heavy eyes. “Why did you save me?” My voice was barely more than a whisper.

“I believe you will prove very useful to me.” He reaches a hand out and brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers like ice as they brush against my skin.

I snort at his comment. “You can’t honestly think I’d ever help you?”

“Why not? I’ve seen the way your eyes watch me, seen the longing you have for something you so desperately want but can’t have. I can see it, the way you look at the sky with longing. I could give it to you, you know; I’ve recruited others to my side for much less.”

“And what makes me so special?” My words come out somewhat slurred.

Loki smirks. “The fact that you have managed to hide how truly different you are from these dull minded mortals amuses me. You are far more than any of these humans you try to hard to be like. The power inside you is like that I have never seen before. Imagine what we could do with it together.”

“The Tesseract...it’s a portal isn’t it?” I change the subject, growing more and more uncomfortable the longer her talks about me.

“You are rather clever for a Midgardian aren’t you? But then, you’re hardly a Midgardian anymore, are you? You eavesdropped enough to know how I came to be here - could I ask you to share the same?”

“It’s a rather long story, not sure we’ve got the time.”

“I believe we’ll soon have the time. We could have all the time we desire. Join me, little wolf, and I promise you’ll see the stars again.”

“Last I checked, my job is to defend the Earth from aliens, not join them to take it over.” 

“Rose Tyler, Defender of Earth. But just how desperate are you to find a way home to your precious Doctor?”

SLAP! “Don’t do that. Don’t bring what I want into this.” He seems shocked that I would dare slap him, his face still turned away from me as I lay into him with a deadly tone underlying every word. Although I could hardly have looked intimidating - barely awake and struggling to speak clearly.

“I will never join you, no matter what it might cost me.”

His smug grin came back as he looks at me. “Maybe you simply need a reminder of what all you’re giving up?”

Before I could stop him, he has his hand on my forehead, pulling forth the worst day of my life:

_ ‘What are we going to do?’ I asked the Doctor, all young, innocent, and starry eyed. I’d promised him forever, to travel the stars together. He was all I had left now, Mickey lived in the parallel world, had a life of his own. My mum had a second chance with Pete Tyler, the parallel version of my dad in his world. And I had the Doctor. He was all I needed, all I wanted. _

_ The Doctor looked over at me, smiling his manic smile, the one he got when he had thought of something clever. ‘We’re sending them where they belong. Back into Hell!’ _

_ It worked, his plan to send them back into the Void, into hell. But he and I had also crossed through the Void, we had Void stuff covering us as well trying to pull us back in. And as we opened the portal, sucking them into the never ending dark and silence, one of the levers keeping the portal open started to close. _

_ I let go of my handhold and grabbed onto the lever, pulling it back open. But I couldn’t hold on, I was losing my grip. I tried so hard, but I wasn’t strong enough. _

_ ‘NO! ROSE!’ Screamed the Doctor as I was sucked into the Void. This was it, this was how I would die: pulled into an endless darkness without time, without meaning. Before I was lost completely, Pete crossed over from his dimension, grabbing me and returning both of us to his world.  _

_ I was trapped. I was ripped away from the man I loved, who I had planned on spending the rest of my live with. Sorrow and anger ripped through me as I collapsed against the wall in tears…. _

The memory faded and I was brought back to reality; back to the cliff with Loki. His smug grin had completely disappeared. His expression almost looks like understanding, or even maybe even concern. I remembered he said he had been thrown into an abyss, but he couldn’t possibly be sympathizing, could he?

Anything further was interrupted by a resounding clang and a huge shockwave that followed. The force knocked my head backwards, slamming it once again against the rocks behind me, this time knocking me out completely.


	4. New friends

 

“Mickey, I don’t know what I should do. Last time this was in my head it almost killed me and him. I...I’m scared.” 

Finally alone, first thing I did was call Mickey Smith: my lifelong best friend, most trusted agent in the field, my second in command, and the only other person in this dimension I could talk to about anything. He’d been there when I had looked into the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the Time Vortex all those years ago. He was one of the few who understood how dangerous it was to have Bad Wolf unlocked inside my head.

“Do you feel any different? Did you get super-powers or something?” He asks in his thick estate accent. Unlike me, Mickey tended to focus purely on field work and operations and never felt a need to change his accent.

“No Mick, no super-powers,” I laugh. “Although I have met some interesting individuals with them. I can fill you in when you get here with my stuff. What’s your ETA?”

“Pete’s still talking to that S.H.I.E.L.D. Director - Anger or Fury or whatever. He’s agreed to let you be the liaison for Torchwood since this is our problem too. About time they started playing nice if you ask me. 

“Anyway, your gear is en route, should be on the next delivery they get. But they’re not letting me on their ship just yet. Apparently don’t want us walking all over their territory seeing what they’re up to. Easier to keep an eye on only one of us you know.”

“I’ll admit, they have some impressive tech I’d like to get a closer look at. Like the jets they have in commision, makes our Range Rover’s look like Flintstones cars. And their cloaking devices! I’ve never seen it applied on such a large scale!”

“Easy there, babe, you’re starting to sound like ole’ Big Ears himself!”

I let out a sigh. “More like him than myself it feels like some days.” A short silent pause follows, neither of us sure what to say. I finally broke the silence. “Hey, I gotta go, not letting our shared threat out of my sight for very long if I can help it. I’ll keep you updated on my situation as well. And get here soon okay? I miss you, ya big idiot.”

“Miss you too, babe. Get there when I can.” With a click I end the call, alone once again. 

Apparently Captain Rogers had joined Thor and Tony in a fight not far from the cliff face we had landed on, and the impact of Thor’s hammer against his shield had caused the shock wave. Loki had been taken back into custody, and Captain Rogers had carried me back onto the jet. 

Their “base” was not the typical base that I was expecting. Instead of a large building in the city or an underground compound, they had an aircraft carrier in the sky called a helicarrier. It was fantastic.

I’d woken up in a small room, basic barracks style with a twin bed, adjoining bathroom, closet, and smaller side table. Thankfully there was a communication device and new set of clothes folded up on the table. I was still wearing the same dress from the gala. Granted, it was almost unrecognizable compared to the evening before after being ripped and covered in dirt. The headache was mostly gone, but I could still feel it - feel Bad Wolf  in the back of my mind. As if it was waiting to come out again.

Shaking off the feeling, I found my phone to immediately call Mick to update him on everything that had happened. It felt good to talk to him, to be reminded that all of this wasn’t just a crazy dream.

After hanging up with Mick, I hop in the shower to clean off all the dirt and grime that covered my skin. I wasn’t too fond of the S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform they had provided me: basically a leather unitard with their logo on it. Granted, it was more comfortable than it looked, but I still missed my Torchwood uniform.

After wandering the ship for about 15 minutes, I’d found my way to the cafeteria, the cargo bay, and the way to the flight deck. I was honestly looking for the bridge or the lab, hoping to find a familiar face. 

Luck was finally on my side when I turned the corner, only to collide with Captain Rogers. “Oh, Captain, sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going!”  
“General Tyler, ma’am. Are you alright?” 

“I’m all good, me. And please, Captain, call me Rose. General is just so… official.”

The Captain chuckles. “Do you not like sounding official, Rose?”

I fall into step beside him, wandering through the dull metal corridors. “I’ve never been the biggest supporter of using military ranks to define the Torchwood system. It works for some organizations, and the military of course, but it just makes me feel like another cog in the machine.”

“You’re quite the mysterious woman, Rose.”

I let out a small laugh at his comment. “I’m much too complicated to try to understand.”

Captain Rogers continues leading me through the ship, stopping when we reach an open hallway, covered in windows to reveal a high tech lab setup. It was better than most of the labs I’d ever seen: top level lab equipment, touch screen monitors, the whole nine yards. 

Noticing my obvious excitement, the Captain smirks. “Guess I’ll leave you to it then. You probably want to get to work. Don’t think you’re off the hook yet though, I would rather like to get to know you.”

“Thanks for keeping me company, Captain,” I smile in return.

“If you want to ignore your rank, feel free to ignore mine too. Call me Steve.”

“Alright then, Steve. Catch you later.” Nodding towards me with a genuine smile, he continues walking down the corridor.

Walking into the lab, I saw only one other person inside. He was about my height, mid-40s, with wavy brown hair that matched his eyes. He looks up at me with a somewhat surprised look. “Um, hi there, I’m…”

“Doctor Bruce Banner,” I interrupt, recognizing the individual in front of me. “I’ve read your work on the Einstein-Rosen bridge theory. Quite impressive I’ve got to say.” Bruce looks shocked that I knew who he was, let alone had read his work. “My name’s Rose, Rose Tyler. I work with Torchwood, specializing in extraterrestrial studies and physics.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Tyler. Not many people recognize me for my work in physics anymore.”

“Well, interdimensional and time-space travel have always been a personal hobby of mine, have to keep up with all the new research and theories now don’t I?.”

“So my work with gamma radiation…”

“Not quite as familiar I’m afraid.” My tone softens. “Don’t worry, Bruce...can I call you Bruce?” He nods his consent. “Well then, Bruce, don’t worry. Although I have heard of your unfortunate lab accident, I don’t believe that is your defining trait.”

“So you’re telling me you have no problems working in a lab with a...a monster?”

I look at him closely: I could see the stress rolling off of him in waves, see the dark circles under his eyes where he hadn’t slept. He truly believes he is a monster. Stepping closer to him, I put a hand gently on his arm. “I have seen and faced more monsters in my life than you would believe. And you Bruce, are no monster.”

“Well, I’m glad one of us thinks so,” he replies with a tight lipped smile.

“Right then. If you could get me up to speed? I’m afraid I was rather dragged into all this last minute, quite literally.”

As Bruce updates me on the situation with the Tesseract, I couldn’t help the wheels in my head from turning. It was a cube of alien energy. S.H.I.E.L.D. had hoped to use it as a source of clean energy, but had underestimated its power. The part that really interested me however, was that it was strong enough to open a portal through space. That was how Loki had gotten here in the first place, causing the anomaly Pete had gone to the states to investigate. They were tracking it through the minor trace of gamma radiation it was emitting.

Before we could get started, we were distracted by the escort of armed guards marching down the hallway, Loki in the middle looking slightly too happy to be there. As he walks past the lab, he looks directly at me, smiling when our eyes met. I can’t help the sense of unease that runs through me. I can feel Bad Wolf at the back of my head, resounding just a little bit louder at the spike of adrenaline.

“Guess that’s my cue then. See you later, Bruce. Don’t have too much fun without me, yeah?” I say with a wink.

“Wait, you’re going to see that guy?” He questions.

“He is my prisoner just as much as S.H.I.E.L.D.’s. Only way to figure this mess out is to talk to him.”

Bruce continues to frown. “I’d rather they just throw him in a hole and throw away the key.”

I shake my head side to side. “ ‘Fraid that wouldn’t help. Seen that idea go wrong first hand.” Memories of the planet that orbited a black hole sprung to life in my head.

I assure Bruce one last time that I can handle myself before heading out of the lab and following the escort down the hallway, making sure to stay a good distance behind them.

A short walk later, we reached a large bay with a cylindrical container with acrylic walls and reinforced steel frames. Inside the cell was the God of Mischief himself. A tall man in a long black leather coat and a patch covering his left eye stood at the control panel. The man, who I assume is Director Fury, was explaining just how the cell’s security worked as I walked in. 

“Ant,” Fury says, motioning towards Loki. “Boot,” he motions to the control panel. 

Backing up from the glass, Loki holds his arms out in surrender. “It’s an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me.”

“Built for something a lot stronger than you.”

“Oh, I’ve heard.” Loki looks straight at the camera. “The mindless beast, makes play he’s still a man. Or,” he turns back, making eye contact with me before facing Fury, “could it be for the wolf, still pretending to be one of the sheep?” 

My heart stops. Did he really think I would help him? Or did he think I would lose control? Either way, I wasn’t sure I was ready to reveal all of my secrets to S.H.I.E.L.D. as of yet and hoped no one connected his hint to me.

“How desperate are you,” Loki continues,  “that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?”

“How desperate am I?” Fury states. “You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can’t hope to control. You talk about peace yet you kill ‘cause it’s fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did.” 

Loki makes a mock face of sympathy. “Ooooh, it burns you to have come so close: to have the Tesseract, to have power - unlimited power! And for what?” His smug grin comes back into place as he glances back at the camera. “A warm light for all mankind to share? And then to be reminded what real power is!”

Smirking, Fury begins walking away. “Well let me know if ‘real power’ wants a magazine or something.” Fury stops beside me. “You have 10 minutes. Make it count,” he says in a low tone before leaving me alone with Loki.

The god stares at me with a raised eyebrow. “So are you to be my interrogator then? Come to force answers from me no matter what it might take?”

A small laugh escapes as I lean back against a wall opposite his cell, attempting to adopt an air of aloof calmness.  _ Attempting to look like him, _ my subconscious points out. “Although S.H.I.E.L.D. might prefer beating answers out of their prisoners, I prefer talking to them before any violence takes place. I believe in giving others a chance to explain before condemning their actions.”

“You know, there are much simpler ways to talk to me one on one,” he teases.

I ignore his comment. “Tony told me you didn’t try to resist when they came back for you.”

“Why would I resist? I’m exactly where I want to be. Is this where you want to be? Are you sure you can keep all that power contained?”

“And a prison cell, surrounded with the best security, is exactly where you want to be,  _ your highness? _ ” I add the title sarcastically in response to his last question.

Loki’s eyes darken at my use of that title. “Mmm, I love how that sounds coming from your lips.”

I wave away his comment, trying not to be affected by his obvious lust. “I heard everything you said on that cliff face, I know what you came here for. You want to use the Tesseract to take over the Earth, right?”

“Is that what you want to hear? That I am a diabolical villain here to destroy your planet for my own enjoyment?” He takes a few steps closer to the glass. “How do you know I’m not here to try to save you all from a horrible fate? I could be the unsung hero, simply misunderstood. A lonely wanderer; a man without a home.”

_ Damn him! _ I scream in my head as he repeats the words used to describe the Doctor.  _ I swear, I wish I could throw him into the void! _ I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, my pulse roaring in my ears. Suddenly, everything I see is outlined with a golden glow. Glancing down, I can see my hands starting to glow with a faint golden light. Clenching them into fists, I try to keep calm and breathe deeply, hoping no one notices over the camera.

“Ahh, not so in control as you thought, little wolf?”

“Stop calling me that. My name is Rose.” My annoyance grows, simply feeding the glow around me. 

“Very well then,  _ Rose _ ,” he says, his voice deep and smooth. I couldn’t resist the shiver that rolled down my spine as my name rolled off his tongue. “I could help you, you know. Help you control it, learn to use it. But you can’t keep blocking me out.”

“Why’re you so eager to get in my head again? Didn’t you see enough last time you invaded my memories?” My whole body was covered with the slight glow now. I knew I needed to calm down, but he seemed to know exactly how to push my buttons. 

His expression changes from his smug grin to one of concern, similar to that I’d seen on the cliff after sharing my worst memory with him. “Rose, calm yourself. I mean you no harm; your secret will be safe with me. You and I both know you don’t want them finding out about what you are.”

“You say that like you know what’s happening. Just what do you think I am?.” I bite back.

“A goddess.”

My anger slowly disappears, replaced by shock. “A what? Are you mental?”

“You can’t see it can you? We’re the same, you and I.”

“The hell we are! I...we….I’m nothing like you!”

“Think about it,” his voice commands. “We were both cast out of our home, but quickly adapted to worlds no one else can understand. You call me a murderer, but you yourself committed genocide! Don’t try to deny it, I saw it in you mind!

“Trust me Rose, I understand you better than anyone else ever will.” Loki’s voice softens again. “You’re going to need me, little wolf.”

The gold glow fades back to just my hands. “I’m not sure you’d believe who I was if I told you.”

“You’ll never know if you don’t give me the chance,” Loki urges.

“Right then,” I sigh, resting my arms on my knees as I slide down the wall to sit on the floor. “You know when you’re a kid, the first time they tell you that the world’s turning and you just don’t believe it ‘cos everything looks like it’s standing still. I’ve felt it.” Our eyes lock, “ the turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinnin' at 1,000 miles an hour and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour, and I’ve felt it. We're fallin' through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go…” Our eye contact breaks and I stare with empty eyes at the floor in front of me.

“I’ve traveled to so many different worlds, through time and space. I’ve faced monsters and demons and seen the evil they can inflict, but I’ve also seen how much good is out there. I’ve lost so much, and so many. And I’ve looked into Time itself, had the vortex running through my head with unimaginable power at my command. But no one’s meant to have that power. Had it been someone else, they could have turned into a vengeful god. I was too human, and I couldn’t control it, so he...the Doctor...took it out to save me from burning. I thought it had all been taken out, he said it had. But a piece of it remains in me, dormant until yesterday.”

As I spoke, a new sense of peaceful calm had come over me, as if I was finally releasing a breath I had been holding too long. I hold up my hands; the glow had spread to cover my whole body again, but I didn’t feel out of control this time. My voice had taken on an ethereal quality, and I can feel Bad Wolf merging fully with my mind.

It wasn’t quite like I remembered it, where Bad Wolf had overtaken me with one direct thought: protect the Doctor. This time, it was like a warm gentle nudge, heightening my senses. I could literally feel time moving. The warm feeling flows through me completely as I finally stop pushing back and let Bad Wolf fully emerge. “I am the Bad Wolf. I am Rose Tyler, Defender of Earth and Protector of Time.”

I felt Bad Wolf begin to withdraw to the back of my mind, a wave of exhaustion rolling over me as the glow completely fades. Loki barely looks phased by my display. Rather, a gleam on longing twinkles in his eyes. “But I’m still just Rose. And I’m scared,” my voice begins to crack as all the emotions I had been holding back emerge at once. “I don’t know why I’m like this, and I don’t know what it means or what to do...” I break off as my eyes begin to fill with tears and I turn away.

“No need to cry, little wolf. I have no wish of seeing harm come to you.”

I sniff and wipe away the tears that threatened to fall. Taking a deep breath, I faced him again. “I wish I could trust you. Had we met under different circumstances, I think we might have been friends.”

“Can we not still be friends?” Loki asks, his eyes genuinely wondering as they search mine for an answer.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”  
 


	5. Teamplayers

 

I let out a long sigh as the door to Loki’s cell seals shut behind me. Everything about him drives me crazy, my emotions warring between curiosity and confusion, desire and denial. 

“Miss Tyler.”

I jump at the sound of my own name, completely lost in my own thoughts and not noticing the man standing a foot away from me. He’s about my height, wearing a suit instead of the S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform all the other agents were wearing. If I ever needed to describe someone as mild-mannered, this man would be my example. He looks to be in his early 40’s, his short brown hair starting to recede. His face stays calm as he waits for me to register his appearance. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Yeah, um, can I help you?” 

“Director Fury asked me to escort you to the bridge for debriefing and team planning,” the agent replies, gesturing down a hallway.

“Team planning? Does that make me part of the Avenger’s Initiative then?” I smile.

The agent continues leading me down the hallway. “Although the Avenger’s Initiative was supposed to stay classified, but Mr. Stark does have a way of completely ignoring rules, as I’m sure you’re completely aware, Miss Tyler. He insisted you were to be part of the debriefing.”

“Please, call me Rose. And what’s your name?”

“Agent Phil Coulson,” he smiles at me in return, offering his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Agent Coulson.”

A few seconds of silence go by as we continue to walk towards the bridge. After a minute, he pipes up. “If you don’t mind me asking, what was it like fighting with Captain America?”

“Captain America?” I question, slightly confused.

“Captain Rogers. He went by Captain America back in the 40’s during the war. He was really quite the celebrity...”

“Whoa, sorry, hold up. Steve fought in World War II? How is that possible? He doesn’t look any older than 30!”

“His plane crashed during the war. He was perfectly preserved in ice for the last 70 years, the super serum that gives him his strength kept him alive the whole time. It was one of the most exciting events, finding him. Some of us grew up on stories of Captain America. He was the world’s first superhero.” Coulson began nervously sticking his hand inside his jacket pocket, as if reaching for something then changing his mind.

“Well I’m afraid I’m the wrong person to ask what it’s like to fight with him. I was lying on the ground barely conscious both times. Not my best moments, I’ll admit.” He looks disappointed by my confession, so I try to change the topic. “Is there something bothering you in your pocket, Agent Coulson?”

He visibly perks up, finally reaching back inside his jacket and producing several baseball cards, except instead of baseball players, they were of Captain Rogers, dressed fully in his red, white, and blue uniform. “Collectable Captain America trading cards,” he says proudly, stopping momentarily to press a button, opening the door to the bridge and leading me towards a large table. “I’m hoping to get him to sign them. They’re mint,” he continues. 

“Rose, glad you made it,” Doctor Banner interrupts, cutting off Coulson from continuing about his mint trading cards any further. I shoot him an apologetic smile as he nods a goodbye and moves to stand a few feet away from the table. In addition to myself, sitting at the table were Steve, Bruce, and a red haired woman in a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent’s uniform, with Thor standing nearby.

“As you were saying, Captain,” Bruce indicates for Steve to continue.

“Loki’s going to drag this out, so… Thor,” he begrudgingly asks the Asgardian, “what’s his play?”

Thor stands there, a perfect picture of the brooding thinker. “He has an army called the Chitauri. They’re not of Asgard or of any world known. He means to lead them against your people; they will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract.”

“An army?” the Captain questions. “From out space?”

“Not as uncommon as it sounds, believe it or not,” I chip in.

Bruce stands up from his chair and pinches the bridge of his nose. “So he’s building another portal? That’s what he needs Erik Selvig for.”

“Selvig?” Thor and I both question.

“He’s an astrophysicist,” Bruce explains, although I was pretty sure both Thor and I already knew that. 

Thor confirms my suspicion. “He’s a friend.”

“Loki has him under some kind of spell,” the red-haired agent finally speaks. “Along with one of our own.”

“That’s what his staff does then?” I think out loud. “Some sort of mind control. He tried to use it on me in Germany.”

Thor casts me a suspicious look. “Why are you not affected then?”

I nod towards Steve. “Captain Rogers intervened before he could finish the process. I’m very thankful for that by the way.” 

Steve shoots me a small smile before focusing back on the discussion. “That’s another thing that’s been bugging me. I want to know why Loki let us take him. He’s not leading an army from here. Rose, you talked to him, what do you make of all this?”

I shake my head, still trying to figure that out. “I wish I knew. I asked him that same thing, and he said he’s right where he wants to be.”

“No offense, Rose, but I don’t think we should be focusing on Loki.” Bruce begins fidgeting with the glasses in his hands. “That guy’s brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him.”

Thor turns toward Bruce in a defensive stance. “Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason be he is of Asgard and he is my brother.”

“He killed 80 people in two days,” the female agent replies in a monotone.

Thor has the decency to look sheepish. “He’s adopted?” I cover my mouth with my hand, trying to hide my smile.

Bruce moves on from his glasses and starts swiveling his chair around. “I think it’s about the mechanics. Iridium. What do they need the Iridium for?” 

“It’s a stabilizing agent,” Tony interrupts, striding into the room with Agent Coulson. I realize I hadn’t even noticed that he’d left. “Means portal won’t collapse on itself like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D.” Tony walks over to the main control panels on the bridge, pausing by Thor and giving him a friendly tap on the arm. “No hard feeling, Point Break, you got a mean swing. Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants.” He turns back and from the control panels. “Uh, raise the mizzenmast, set our course,” Tony mumbles as a playful order to the workers nearby. They all stop and look at him in confusion. He points to a random agent, “That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn’t notice, but we did.” He sighs as he continues to turn back and forth between control panels, even placing one hand over his eye momentarily. “How does Fury even see these?”

“He turns,” replies another female agent, standing with her arms crossed and watching Tony with an annoyed expression.

“Sounds exhausting,” Tony is quick to reply, finally picking a monitor to press buttons on. “The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high energy density. Something to kickstart the cube.”

“When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?” The same female agent with the annoyed look asks bluntly.

“Last night,” Tony deadpans. “The packet, Selvig’s notes, the extraction theory papers? Am I the only one who did the readings?” He approaches the table with a questioning look.

Steve has a similar expression as the female agent. “Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?”

Bruce looks up from his pacing. “He’d have to heat the cube to 120-million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier.”

“Unless,” Tony interrupts, “Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect.”

“Well, if he could do that he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet.” Bruce and Tony were beginning to sound like the Doctor when he was having conversations with himself.

“Finally, someone who speaks English.” Tony walks over to Bruce.

Steve looks at me quizzically. “Is that what just happened?”

Tony proceeds to shake Bruce’s hand. “It’s good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti electron collisions is unparalleled and I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.”

“Tony,” I say slowly in warning, a habit I’d started whenever he was being rude to someone.

Bruce just looks rather speechless. “Thanks.”

“Doctor Banner is only here to track the cube,” Fury stalks into the room and takes his place at the head of the table. “I was hoping you might join him.”

“I’d start with that stick of his. It may be magical but it looks an awful lot like a Hydra weapon,” Steve says, looking back at the two geniuses.

“I don’t know about that,” Fury says calmly. “But it is powered by the cube and I’d like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys.”

Thor looks to Fury. “Monkeys? I don’t understand…”

“I do!” Steve exclaims, pointing to Thor and shooting me a proud smile. “I understood that reference.”

Tony rolls his eyes so far back in his head I was sure he could see his own brain. “Shall we play, doctor? Rose?”

“Miss Tyler will be along shortly, Stark. I need to have a word with her first,” Fury states before I even had a chance to get up. Steve and Tony both look at me with a tight lipped smile before clearing the area and going their separate ways. Both female agents remain.

“What can I help you with, Director?” I lean forward.

“A few things: first, you got a package.” He throws a large shoebox sized package across the table towards me. “Second,” he sighs, “your father, Director Tyler, and I have agreed to share intel during our...unique situation, due to your profound knowledge of alien lifeforms. Furthermore, you will act as the liaison agent between our two agencies, a sign of goodwill between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Torchwood.”

“So what you’re saying is, I’m now part of the Avenger’s Initiative with full access to this case?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“What I’m saying is - you have limited access to the helicarrier’s resources. As for the Avengers, Stark should know that idea has not been put into action.”

I let out a chuckle. “Well, Tony never has been good at keeping secrets. Pretty sure he came back from your meeting and immediately spilled the beans to me and Pepper.” I lean back in my chair and cross my arms. “I’ll need complete access to Loki and the lab.”

“I think that can be arranged. Anything further I suggest you run it by Agent Hill,” he motions to the unamused agent by the control panel, “or Agent Romanov,” he motions to the red headed woman also seated at the table.

“Don’t worry, Director, I think I have e verything I need.”


	6. The frailty of humans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many fantastic comments from the last chapter, you don't realize how happy it makes me as a writer. Thank you to all my amazing readers, you guys really inspire me to write!

As soon as I got my hands on the package I open it, revealing my Torchwood field clothes, my jacket, my laptop, a few of my prefered weapons (really just a knife), and a couple pictures of my family: Pete, my mum Jackie, and my 6-year old little brother Tony. He was thrilled to have the same name as Tony Stark, and spent lots of his time running around the house pretending to be Iron Man. 

I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding in. It felt so good to be back in my own clothes. My Torchwood clothes had been specially designed for field operations: specially durable black cargo pants, a grey t-shirt with a small Torchwood logo in the top right hand area, and black cargo boots made with high-tech material that was incredibly lightweight and flexible yet durable enough to stop a knife. I completed the look with my favorite maroon leather jacket.

Taking a deep breath, I did one final check in the mirror before heading out of my room. After my conversation with Fury on the bridge, I’d spent all morning in the lab with Tony and Bruce. 

Pete had called earlier and confirmed that I would officially be working as the liaison between Torchwood and S.H.I.E.L.D. for the time being. Both Pete and Director Fury had decided that I was the only option at this point. And because of my status and experience at Torchwood, I had been granted open access to everything on the helicarrier, much to Fury’s chagrin I’m sure, but my main concern was Loki.  

I had been watching him through the video surveillance while working in the lab, making it hard to concentrate on my work at times.

Deciding to finally take a break from the lab, I decide to take a walk towards the God of Mischief’s cell. Walking into the containment room, I realize that there were no guards inside. I had been sure at least eight had entered when I had left for the bridge that morning.

“Apparently none but you can handle my company,” came Loki’s deep, smooth voice from inside the glass container. He hadn’t moved from the position I’d seen over the security footage all morning: standing in the middle, hands clasped behind his back, just staring at the camera.

“Well lucky me then,” I mumble under my breath. He appears to hear me, evidenced by the smirk that appears as he turns towards me. I can’t help but return it with a grin of my own. His charisma and charm was contagious, and it didn’t help that he was very easy on the eyes: his tall, lean yet muscular body framed by well-fitted armor; his shoulder-length raven black hair, and his piercing green eyes that felt like they could see into my soul.

“I must say, I prefered the S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. It fit you better,” his deep voice makes me shiver involuntarily. I hadn’t felt feelings like this in years, especially not since getting stuck here.  _ You haven’t felt much at all in years, _ my subconscious reminded me. There hadn’t been any dates for me, as much as it annoyed my mum. All she wanted was for me to find a nice bloke and settle down. But I wasn’t fit for the typical domestic life anymore. The Doctor had ruined any chance of that for me. Not knowing anything else to do with my life now that I was Earth-locked, I had thrown myself into my work, averaging 50 hours per week and basically living at the office, hardly any time for a social life. 

“Too tight if you ask me,” I retort.

“Perhaps you should try it in green.”

“Yeah? Well I’ll just stick with this for the time being if it’s all the same to you. Anyway, I didn’t come here to discuss my wardrobe. The jewel in your staff...clearly it’s not the Tesseract, but it also appears to have special properties. They said you used it to take over the minds of several of their agents and a renowned astrophysicist. If that’s the case, why didn’t it work on me? Was it because of Bad Wolf?”

“You reacted differently than the humans. Instead of letting the energy control you, you absorbed it. All I did was light a spark, allowing the fire to take hold inside of you.”

“Figures he wouldn’t get all of it out. Not quite lucky enough to be rid of it completely,” I sigh as I slide down the wall and sit, my legs stretched out in front of me.

“You would give up all that power?” His face shows his confusion, as if turning away power was something unknown to him.

“What good can it do if it kills me? No one is meant to have that much power...to burn like the sun….I’m not even sure how long I have,” I say sadly. Even though I’d gotten a few hours of sleep, I still felt drained, granted it was mostly from stress. I wasn’t ready to die, not when I was so close to finding a way back to my home world.

Loki throws back his head and laughs. If there hadn’t been half a foot of unbreakable acrylic between us, I would’ve given him a slap to rival any my mum had ever delivered. As it was, all I could do was glare daggers at him while he smiles back at me. 

“I do apologize my dear, but your ignorance is highly amusing.” 

Standing up, I began to walk towards the exit, intent on not crying in front of him. But before I reached the door, Loki called out “Rose, wait...please.”

“Why should I?” My voice cracks as I blink back the tears threatening to spill over.

“This power, this entity inside you: it is not going to kill you, dear one.”

Wiping a hand across my eyes, I compose myself and look back at him. “Please, don’t give me hope when there is none. There isn’t a way to save me, and I won’t let anyone die for me - not again.” My voice is so soft I’m not sure if he can even hear me.

“Humans are fragile beings Rose, we both know this to be true. In the last 24 hours, you have been knocked down by a god and fallen out of plane several hundred feet. By Midguardian standards, you should be dead. Yet you haven’t even a scratch on you.”

My brain stops. Slowly, I look down at my arms and hands. He was right: no cuts, scrapes, the only evidence that anything had happened was a yellowish bruise on my elbow that was almost healed up. “But, last time….this...this means I….”

“Like I said before, you are not like some common mortal, little wolf.”

His words remind me of something Jackie had said, after the Doctor and I had returned to my mum’s flat after a trip to Bazoolium.  _ "And in forty years time, fifty, there'll be this woman, this strange woman, walking through the marketplace on some planet a billion miles from Earth. But she's not Rose Tyler. Not anymore. She's not even human." _

“I’m not even human anymore am I?”

“I think you already know the answer to that,” he replies, staring at me intently.

Straightening my back and running my hands over my face, I stare back at him. “If you’ll excuse me,  _ your highness _ , I have to go figure out your mind-controlling rock.”

As I walk out the door, I hear him call out, “Until next time, little wolf.”

 

_ I’m not human? Is he right? It’s not going to kill me? _

Wandering back to the lab, these three thoughts repeating in my head, I wasn’t watching where I was going as I turn a corner, running smack into the God of Thunder.

“Sorry, really, should’ve been watching where I was going.”

“It’s quite alright, Rose Tyler.” His voice was deep and gruff, a complete contrast to that of his brother’s. “I don’t believe we’ve been officially introduced. I am Thor, son of Odin, Prince of Asgard.” He held his fist to his heart and gave me a slight bow.

Straightening up into my Torchwood persona, I nod an acknowledgement of his title. “General Rose Tyler, nice to finally meet you under more...peaceful circumstances.”

Thor looks slightly chagrined at the mention of his earlier actions on the plane. “I meant no harm to you, I assure you.”

“No worries, no harm done.” He falls into step beside me as I continue towards the lab. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Yes, Rose Tyler…”

“Rose,” I interrupt. “My friends all just call me Rose.”

“Are we friends then, Rose?”

“I think we will be. I have a knack for befriending aliens it seems.” I smile at him, the first real smile that had crossed my face in a while.

“Well then, Rose, might I give you a word of advice, as a friend?”

“Never one to turn away some knowledge, me. What seems to be on your mind?”

“It concerns Loki. I notice you have had several interactions with him, and I must warn you to be on your guard.”

“No offence, Thor, but I’m aware of the danger he poses and believe I can handle myself.”

Thor chuckles. “I’m inclined to believe you with the way everyone speaks so highly of you. But the way he interacts with you, it’s different than he treats most mortals.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Just please be wary of his lies. He is a trickster, after all.”

“Sorry, but why are you only warning me?” I couldn’t figure out why he had decided to tell me directly and not just address the whole team.

“I have seen Loki deceive countless times. He is a master of sorcery, and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. At first I thought he was using you to get something, but it’s…. different with you Rose. You don’t fear him like most mortals, but you don’t openly despise him either. He should hate you for that.”

“I’m just trying to understand him so we can stop him. I think he’s lonely.”

Thor chuckles, “Loki doesn’t get..”

“Everyone gets lonely, Thor. At some point, we all just need a hand to hold.”

“Be that as it may, I warn you to tread very carefully around my brother, for your own safety.”

“Yeah, thanks for the heads up.” He nods in farewell before walking away.

_ Well now I’m more confused than I was in there with Loki! _ I think. Deciding not to chance bumping into anyone else, I pay more attention as I head back to the lab to see how Tony and Dr. Banner are doing tracking the Tesseract.

Walking in, I see Banner scanning Loki’s scepter with a gamma ray detector, while Tony is hopping between monitors, solving equations and creating new algorithms as he works.

Coughing so as not to alarm them with my presence, I ask, “Any progress boys?”

Not looking up from the scanner, Bruce replies, “The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig’s reports on the Tesseract. But it’s gunna take weeks to process.”

“If we bypass their mainframe and direct a reroute to the Homer cluster, we can clock this around six hundred teraflops,” Tony replies, all of his terms going straight over my head.

“All I packed was a toothbrush,” Banner comments.

Tony smiles. “You know, you should come by Stark Towers sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You’d love it. You both would.”

“He’s right. Pepper’s showed me the pictures. It’s like a candy land,” I say with a slight chuckle.

“Thanks, but the last time I was in New York I kind of broke….Harlem.” Bruce looks sad, like his whole life was in pieces that he’d never be able to put back together.

“Well, I promise a stress free environment. No tension. No surprises.” As Tony finishes this sentence, he suddenly pokes Bruce with a small electrical prod he had been fiddling with.

“Ow!” Bruce exclaims, rubbing the area as Tony just stares at him intently.

“Tony,” I exhaustedly sigh.

“Nothing?” He stares at Bruce intently, waiting for something.

“Hey! Are you nuts!” Comes Steve’s voice as he walks in the door, looking at Tony with a pissed off expression.

Tony just ignores him and continues watching Bruce for any sign of a reaction. “You really have got a lid on it, haven’t you? What’s your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?”

“Is everything a joke to you?” Steve accuses Tony.

“Funny things are,” he retorts. I can’t help but roll my eyes. Tony has to have a sarcastic comment for everything it seems. 

“Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn’t funny.” He lowers his voice and looks over at Bruce. “No offense, doctor.”

“No, it’s alright. I wouldn’t have come aboard if I couldn’t handle pointy things.”

“You’re tiptoeing, big man. You need to strut.” Tony either doesn’t notice how much he seems to have pissed of Steve, or more likely he just doesn’t care.

“And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark,” Steve says as he gestures back to the monitors.

“You think I’m not? Why did Fury call us and why now? Why not before? What isn’t he telling us? I can’t do the equation unless I have all the variables.”

“You think Fury’s hiding something?” Steve accuses.

Tony gives him a look I had seen before on the Doctor, as if you’d dribbled on your chin or something. “He’s a spy. Captain, he’s  _ the _ spy. His secrets have secrets.” He points over to Bruce, “It’s bugging him too, isn’t it? And I’ll bet Rose has had her doubts since stepping foot on this ship.”

“I’m part of a secret agency, of course I have suspicions, comes with the job,” I point out.

“Uh, um I...I just wanna finish my work here and….” Bruce stammers. 

“Doctor?” Stever raises an eyebrow in question.

“‘A warm light for all mankind,’ Loki’s jab at Fury about the cube.”

“We all heard it. You think it means something?” I ask him.

Bruce points at Tony. “Well, I think that was meant for you. Even if Barton didn’t post that all over the news.”

Steve looks confused. “The Stark Tower? That big ugly building in New York?” Tony shoots him a look at the mentions of “ugly building.”

“It’s powered by Stark Reactors, self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for what, a year?” Bruce asks Tony.

“That’s just the prototype,” Tony answers. “I’m kind of the only name in clean energy right now.”

“So, why didn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. bring you in on the Tesseract project?” I ask no one in particular. “I mean, what are they doing in the energy business in the first place?”

“I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secure files,” comments Tony as he walks back over to his monitors.

“Tony, you didn’t?” I sigh. He’d tried the same thing at Torchwood. Luckily enough, he’d encountered the Bad Wolf virus (a computer virus I’d helped create that essentially erased the data of anything it infected) before he got into any of our Top Secret files.

Steve looks shocked that he would even dare try to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s files. “I’m sorry, did you say….?”

“Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours we’ll know every dirty secret S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever tried to hide.” Tony looks over at me, and I know he sees the gleam in my eye. I know this agency will never tell me anything without distorting it somehow, this might me the only chance I get to learn the truth. “Blueberry?” he offers me.

“And yet you’re confused about why they didn’t want you around?” Steve scoffs.

I pop a blueberry into my mouth. “An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? There’s no way.”

Steve continues, directing his words at me now. “I think Loki’s trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war, and if we don’t stay focused, he’ll succeed. We have orders, we should follow them.” He sounds a bit like Mickey right then: a man who wouldn’t question his orders because he believes in the person they came from.

Tony grimaces at the mention of following orders. “Following is not really my style.”

Steve gives him a sarcastic smile. “And you’re all about style, aren’t you?”

Now it’s Tony’s turn to look pissed off. “Of the people in this room, which one is; A. wearing a spangly outfit, and B. not of use?”

“Rude!” I chastise Tony. 

“Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?” Bruce tries to reason with the captain. 

He looks like he’s considering it for a moment, but replies, “Just find the cube.” And with that, he walks out the lab. I recognize the look in his eyes, it was the same look I had when I realized there was no returning to the Doctor.

Stepping out into the hallway, I call after him, “Steve, hold on.”

He pauses, hesitating before he stops and turns around to face me. “With all due respect Rose, now really isn’t…”

“There will never be a good time Steve,” I interrupt. “You’ve been cast into a world you don’t understand, that’s nothing like the world you left. You wanted to know my secret? I understand what it’s like more than you know. But there’s no going back home, and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Until you realize that, you can’t help anyone, not really. But it gets easier, with time, and with friends.”

He looks at me, sadness and understanding written all over it. “Thank you, Rose. Ever since I woke up, everyone has just been telling me how much better things are.”

“But they’re not better. They’re just different.”

“Exactly,” he agrees. “Afraid I won’t make the best company to be around right now. If you don’t mind, I need to go think things over.”

I smile gently. “Of course. Just think about what I said. And you’re already off to a good start, you’ve got one friend already.” With a nod, he turns around and sulks down the hall as I walk back into the lab.

“That’s the guy my dad never shut up about? Wondering if they shouldn’t have kept him on ice.” I gave Tony a disapproving look as I enter.

“The guy’s not wrong about Loki. He does have the jump on us,” Bruce concedes.

While Tony continues to mumble rude comments about the star-spangled captain, I walk over to Bruce, putting my hand on his arm and quietly ask, “Dr. Banner, can I ask a favor?”

“Yeah, Rose, of course. What is it?”

“I was hoping you could check my vitals, maybe do a few tests. Just want to make sure I’m fit for duty after everything that’s happened.” It technically wasn’t a lie, I was just leaving out that I wanted to know if I was still human. And if I was going to die.

“You don’t want to go to med bay?” Bruce asks, confusion all over his features.

“I honestly have no idea where that is, and we’ve already got what we need here, yeah? Something just feels off, and I was hoping to get a second opinion. Self-diagnosis isn’t always the most reliable you know.”

Bruce nods. “You’re not wrong there. The computer’s gunna take a few minutes anyway, I don’t see any harm helping out a friend.”

After some poking and prodding, he confirms that I had neither a concussion nor any broken bones. I notice the bruise that had been on my elbow previously had completely disappeared. 

“Well, you’re vitals are a little off, but that’s not my main concern at the moment.”

A pit of worry settles in my stomach. I brace myself for bad news. “What’s your main concern? Internal bleeding? Exposure?”

“No, no, nothing life threatening I don’t think,” he chuckles at the panic on my face. “Do you feel panicked, threatened, or excited right now?”

“Um, no more than normal. Why?”

He points to a chart on one of the screens. “Your adrenaline levels are abnormally high for someone as calm as you are.”

“I don’t understand…”

“You’ve got the same amount of adrenaline pumping through your system as an average human does in the middle of a war. It’s causing your vitals to go all over the place, and I can’t figure out why.”

Before he could do anything else, the monitor started beeping and Tony motions us back to work.

“See,” Tony points to the monitor. “I told you he was hiding something.”


	7. Chaos takes hold

“What are you doing, Mr. Stark?” Fury commands as he walks into the lab with purpose.

“Uh...kind of been wondering the same thing about you.” Tony shoots back.

“You’re supposed to be locating the Tesseract.” 

“We are,” confirms Bruce, pointing to a monitor. “The model’s locked and we’re sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we’ll have the location within half a mile.”

“And you’ll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss,” says Tony in his sarcastic, placating manner. Pressing a button, a new screen comes up on his monitor. “What is PHASE 2?”

Storming in, Captain Rogers drops an assault rifle on the table, causing everyone in the lab to look at him. “PHASE 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the cube to make weapons. Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow,” he says to Tony.

Fury holds his hands out in a manner of calm. “Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we’re…” 

“I’m sorry, Nick,” Tony says moving another screen towards Fury, showing plans and blueprints for weapons like the one Steve had brought in. “What were you lying?”

Steve’s voice gains a hint of sadness. “I was wrong, director. The world hasn’t changed a bit.”

Just then, Thor and Agent Romanov walk in and stand next to me, the latter keeping her eyes glued on Bruce. He looks straight back, wearing an expression I’d yet to see on his face. 

“Did you know about this?” He accuses.

Agent Romanov ignores his question and calmly asks, “You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?”

“I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed!”

“Loki’s manipulating you.” At her words, my attention snaps to her. He was locked in a cell, how could he be doing anything? Had something happened when I wasn’t watching him?

“And you’ve been doing what exactly?” Banner spit out.

“You didn’t come here because I bat my eyelashes at you,” she states.

“Yes, and I’m not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I’d like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.”

“Because of them,” answers Fury, pointing at both me and Thor.

“Me?” questions a stunned Thor.

“Excuse me?” I say, equally as shocked. “How can I cause you to stoop to this level?”

“Last year Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. Torchwood,” Fury says looking at me, “may be prepared for such an event, but we weren’t aware that we even needed to be. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned.”

“My people want nothing but peace with your planet,” Thor defends.

Fury only glances at him before returning his one-eyed gaze to me. “But you’re not the only people out there, are you?” I narrow my gaze at him, unwittingly confirming his suspicions. “And, you’re not the only threat. The world’s filling up with people who can’t be matched, they can’t be controlled.”

“Like you controlled the cube?” I shot back, annoyed that he would blame me for this situation.

Thor is annoyed as well.“Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war.”

“A higher form?” Steve questions.

“You forced our hand. We had to come up with something.”

“Nuclear deterrent. ‘Cause that always calms everything right down,” says Tony, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Fury turns his eye to Tony. “Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?”

Arguments erupt throughout the whole room, I can feel a wave of anger and discontent descend over everyone. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Loki’s scepter: the blue gem is glowing brightly. Suddenly, the sound of arguing becomes dull in the background, and I hear a strange whispering. Walking past Bruce, closer to the scepter, the whispering gets louder. I look around at the others in the room. None of them seem to notice. I reach the scepter, the whispers practically shouting. Reaching out, I place my hand on the scepter, feeling a jolt of energy run through me as I do.

_ “Ah, little wolf. I hoped you’d be immune to my little mind trick.” _ He’s in my head. Loki’s voice is in my head; I panic. “ _ Shh, little wolf, don’t be alarmed. The mind stone is under my control. When you touched the scepter, you allowed me access to your mind.” _

I close my eyes and focus on his voice.  _ You’re doing this aren’t you? Making them argue? _

I can hear him chuckle inside my thoughts.  _ “I’m simply encouraging them to air their concerns. It is not my fault that they harbor such ill will towards each other.” _

Inwardly, I sigh.  _ Why do I get to be left out of your little magic trick? Do you hate me so much you want me to feel more isolated in this world? _

_ “Why would I hate you?” _ But before I could respond, Loki’s voice disappears, and the arguing comes back into focus. But it’s not arguing anymore. Distantly I can hear someone calling my name. 

“Rose!” It’s Tony’s voice. Suddenly, my mind snaps back into reality. Everyone is staring at me. Agent Romanoff and Fury both have their hands by their guns, ready to draw. 

“General Tyler...put down the scepter.”

I look down, my hand wrapped completely around the scepter which I had taken off of the stand. Slowly, I set it back down on the table. The computer begins to beep, drawing everyone’s attention off of me.

“Got it!” Tony exclaims.

“Located the Tesseract?” asks Thor.

Tony starts planning a flight course. “I can get there faster.”

“The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it!” Thor exclaims as Tony makes a move to leave, only to be stopped by Captain Rogers. 

As the two men begin bickering again, I join Bruce in looking at the monitor. He notices something off however, exclaiming “Oh, my God!”

Before I could ask what he saw, the whole ship moves, throwing people in every direction.

“Damn it, Loki!” I say and jump up, running out of the lab as everyone else tries to get their bearings. I sprint towards the containment cell. His scepter must be a homing device. This was a rescue.

Upon reaching the door, I type in the access code as fast as I can, running in to see the door of the cell opening, releasing Loki.

“Hello, Rose.”


	8. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a slow build, but we're finally to a turning point with Rose and Loki!
> 
> As always, let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, sarcastic remarks, etc. in the comments below!

“Hello, Rose.”

“What have you done?” I ask quietly. Bruce thought my adrenaline levels were abnormal earlier, but that was nothing to what they must have been at this moment. My body is a battleground of emotions: anger, excitement, desire, and fear. But before I could decide which emotion to act on, an angry roar resounds throughout the ship. Banner had lost his careful grip on the monster inside him. Loki looks up, a mischievous smile covering his face. 

Still smiling, his emerald gaze turns to me. “Setting my plan into action. And they all went along with it perfectly. But you,” he begins walking towards me, “you were an unexpected piece on the board. Nonetheless, I must say I’m glad I found you.”

He continues to stalk towards me, like a hunter stalks their prey.  _ Move! _ I scream at my legs, but I stay frozen where I stand, unable to decide whether I should fight or run away. Slowly, he circles around me. “What do you want with me?” I whisper.

“I’ll admit, my motives were less than pure to begin with, but you’ve managed to surprise me at every turn. It’s not so much what I want  _ with _ you,” he stops behind me, his voice deeper and huskier than I’d ever heard it. His body is so close to mine, I can feel the heat radiating off of him as he whispers in my ear. “But that I want  _ you _ .”

Nothing had prepared me for this possibility, the reality of it shocking me. “You can’t deny you feel something, little wolf. I can feel your desire, see how your eyes darken with it. You want me, too.” The words lost their luster from a moment earlier. It sounded more like a plea.

He circles back around to my front, taking both of my hands in his. I never realized how tall he was, almost a head taller than me. “I can help you learn to control your gift.” His words break me out of my trance, and I look away from his intoxicating stare and down to our joined hands. Mine had started to glow again. Panicking, I try to pull my hands away and withdraw into myself. His hands didn’t give though, gripping mine tighter in his grasp. “It’s alright, you’re safe with me Rose,” he whispers. 

For some reason I couldn’t explain or understand, his words calm me, just like they did during our first conversation in this room. My fear begins to fade along with the glow in my hands. “How is it you make the emotions I’ve worked so hard to control run wild?” I whisper, barely loud enough for him to hear.

Loki smiles again, but not the same mischievous smile from before. I’d never seen this one before, almost genuine. Sadly, it didn’t last long.

“You’re coming with me, Rose.”

“Why would I do that?” My softness disappears as my Torchwood shell clamps back into place, my vulnerability hiding away.

“When the Chitauri arrive, I want you safe, by my side.”

I pull my hands completely away from his, taking a step back and away from him. “If you’re bringing an army...if you’re invading this Earth, you know I have no choice but to stop you.”

“Then I am sorry for this,” he says, sounding truly regretful. The last thing I saw was Loki’s hand waving through the air before succumbing to darkness. 

With a groan, I slowly regain consciousness.  _ Bloody bastard knocked me out! _ Opening my eyes, I see Thor charging towards Loki, who stands in the door of the containment cell. But with a flash, Loki disappears and the door closes, trapping Thor inside. The real Loki steps out, smiling. “Are you ever not going to fall for that?” 

Thor slams his hammer against the cell, looking surprised when it only cracks. The whole container violently shakes, the security precautions still working. Loki stands by the control panel, an uncomfortably blue-eyed soldier behind him. “The humans think us immortal. Should we test that?”

Before he can do anything, the soldier behind him drops to the floor. Loki turns, and I can see Agent Coulson standing there, holding one of the Phase 2 prototypes.

“Move away, please,” says Coulson. Loki does as he says, holding up his hands and taking a step away from the controls. I stand up, leaning against a rail for support.

“You like this?” Agent Coulson continues. “We started working on the prototype after you sent The Destroyer. Even I don’t know what it does. Do you wanna find out?”

Time seems to suddenly slow down. I can see Loki, but there’s two of him: one facing Coulson with hands up, a vague green shimmer to him that betrays the image as fake; and another behind him, the real one, scepter in hand. As I realize what Loki’s about to do, I move into action without hesitation.

Shoving Coulson out of the way, time returns to normal. A gasp escapes me as I look down between Loki and I. The point of his scepter is buried right through me, just below my sternum and going all the way through. I look back up at Loki’s face: betrayal, rage, sorrow, and fear warring across his features. 

“Nooo!” screams Thor from inside the cell.

Loki ignores him, pulling the scepter from my body and dropping it on the ground, only to catch me as my legs gave out beneath me. “Guess Bad Wolf isn’t going to kill me,” I manage to gasp out. My hands press lightly against the wound in a failing attempt to stop the puddle of blood that was forming around me.

Agent Coulson doesn’t move from his spot on the floor; he must’ve hit his head when I shoved him out of the way. Loki gently lowers me to the ground, placing his palm against my cheek before rising and making his way back to the control panel. He gives Thor one last look before hitting the button, releasing the cell to drop out of the ship.

Reclaiming his scepter, he returns to my side scooping me up carefully so as not to do further harm. My head rests against his chest and I can hear his heart thumping beneath his armor. The pain increases as we walk, every breath a struggle. 

We continue walking, my vision blurry from pain. I can hear several pairs of footsteps behind us. Reaching a door, we stop momentarily as one of Loki’s minions types in a code to open it. Loki proceeds forward, carrying me up a ramp and into a carrier plane. Carefully, he sits down, cradling me in his arms.

“Why?” He whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear.

“I...c-couldn’t….let you….t-told you….I’d s-s-stop you,” I manage to stutter out between ragged breaths. I feel so tired, and close my eyes for a moment 

“Just stay awake. Eyes on me!” he commands. “I’m not letting you go so easily.”

“I’m scared. I...I don’t want to go,” I whimper, tears streaming down my cheek as a fresh jolt of pain runs through me. I do as he says and try to keep my eyes open, watching him attempt to mask his emotions as he pulls me tighter against his body; his face illuminated from the glow of my skin as Bad Wolf emerges.

As I feel the plane shift, swaying in the breeze as it flies away, I close my eyes and let my exhaustion take over, giving into the enticing darkness as Loki holds me in his arms.


	9. Confessions

For the first time in a long time, I dream of something other than the Void or the Doctor.

In my dream, I see a reflection of myself. But it barely looks like me. This form that stares back at me has wild blond hair; dark eyeliner that give her glowing golden eyes a haunting look; and ripped leggings with an equally ripped dress, covered only by a vest. 

“Rose Tyler.” The other me’s voice had an otherworldly quality to it.

“Where...where are we?”

Looking around, I notice we’re standing in the Tardis console room. The familiar glow from the time rotor bounces off the coral struts. The captain’s chair off to the side, still covered in duct tape because the Doctor refuses to get a replacement. I was home.

“How are we here?” I couldn’t contain the joy I felt at once again standing on the metal grating floor.

“I’m afraid we’re not here. Not really. This is just a dream, Arkytior. I chose it because it’s the place that you feel safest.”

“Arkytior?”

“It is your name in the language of the Time Lords, the lost language of High Gallifreyan. It was the Tardis’s name for you, as well as mine.”

“Your name? Who are you?”

“I believe you already know the answer to that, child.” The other me smiles gently.

“Bad Wolf? If you’ve been in my head ever since Satellite 5, why are you just now revealing yourself?”

“Years ago, when you looked into the heart of the Tardis, the Tardis also looked into you. She is a sentient being and part of Time itself. By inviting her into your mind to save the Doctor, you allowed the Time Vortex in as well. That is what made you so powerful: you were channeling the full power of time. The Doctor was correct, it would have consumed you. 

“Even though the Doctor thought he took the vortex out of you, a small portion remained. Time itself had looked into you and saw all that you have been, all that you are, all that you could and will be. I am but a piece of that. I have stayed dormant in the back of your mind until you were ready.”

“Am I...am I human anymore?” I ask hesitantly. 

“Yes, and no. When the lonely god touched you with his magic, it awakened me from my dormant state. I am a part of you, Arkytior. You can still channel the power of the Vortex through you.. A mere human could not contain this power, making you the first of your kind; you will always be part human, but there is no telling what you will become.” Bad Wolf waves her hand, and the Tardis console room disappears, replaced by a view of space and the stars. “Tell me Arkytior, what do you see?”

Looking out, I see countless constellations, only some from Earth’s galaxy. Slowly, one by one, the stars start blinking out, disappearing, leaving only darkness in their place. “The stars...they’re going out!” I exclaim.

“You are needed again, young one. Once again the universe - Time itself needs the Defender of Earth. You must return home to your world; you must find the Doctor.”

“How? I’m stuck here! The walls between dimensions are closed!”

Bad Wolf looks at me with sympathy. “Learn how to call upon me, Arkytior. You have been given a great gift, power over Time. But I warn you, control your emotions or you cannot control this power. There is still a danger of too much power, as there was before. You have so much fear, imagine what you could do if you learned to control it.”

Her voice fades away, replaced with a familiar sound of footsteps, engines, and a heartbeat. The dream was over, Bad Wolf was gone. I could feel Loki’s arms holding me close to his body again. 

Thankfully the pain had faded, a feeling of welcome cold masking the pain. I try not to stir or open my eyes, letting Loki think I was still asleep. I could hear talking, but their voices were too muffled to discern any words. He must have said something to dismiss them, for all at once the voices stop and I hear footsteps fading away. 

Loki gently sets me down on a couch. Kneeling next to me, he brushes his knuckles across my cheek only to tuck a lock of my hair behind my ear, letting it slide between his fingers as he moves his hand away. Slowly, I open my eyes, finding his face less than a foot from mine. “I’m alive?” I say with a small smile.

“You infuriating woman! How is it you make me feel so much all at once?” He whispers, less a question for me and more a rhetorical one. “Tell me, will you throw yourself in front of everyone I intend to harm?” 

“If it means I can save them, yeah...uhhhh,” I let out a groan as I shift slightly, the pain returning from the movement. Loki looks thoughtful, his hands moving to hover at the hem of my shirt, now ruined by a large rip in the front and back and soaked with my blood. His eyes look up at mine, as if asking permission. I nod, grimacing from the wave of pain. He pulls my shirt all the way up past my breasts, exposing my whole abdomen and chest - not that much of the shirt was doing any good covering my bra anymore. Pressing his ice cold hand against the wound, the area becomes numb and very slowly my pain begins to dissipate.

“Not see through anymore am I?” I joke, hoping to lighten the situation. He doesn’t seem amused.

Looking around, I vaguely recognize where we are. “This is Stark Towers, isn’t it?” I ask. Bruce was right, he had been trying to bait Tony earlier. “Tony was supposed to be throwing a party in this penthouse, one I was rather looking forward to. Guess he’ll have to reschedule now. Still, kind of exciting to finally be in New York - the city so good they named it twice,” I add a bit of huskiness to my voice just like I did with the Doctor in New New York.

“You really never do stop talking do you? Even on the brink of death you don’t shut up.” Loki comments sarcastically. 

“Can talk for England, me,” I smile, poking my tongue out between my teeth. Whatever he’d done had made my pain almost disappear completely. All that was left was a dull ache. I knew a serious conversation that I wouldn’t enjoy was coming.  

“Thanks for that,” I motion to his hand on my wound, “whatever it is you’re doing.”

“It is but a spell to mask the pain. Your impressive healing process will take care of the rest.”

Begrudgingly, I decide it’s time to ask the questions that had been on my mind since waking up.“Why did you take me with you? Why help me? I thought you hated me.”

He doesn’t reply at first, just looks into my eyes with renewed intensity. “This day, the next, a hundred years, it’s nothing. It’s a heartbeat. Human lives are fleeting: they’re born, they live, they die, while we live on unchanged. My brother,” he spits at the word, “fell for a human woman. I mocked him, said he was weak.” At that, Loki stands up and takes several steps away, turning his back to me.

“Everyone I have ever loved has lied to me, betrayed my trust. For the longest time, I have felt nothing but hate. But you…Three times I have held your life in my hands. Three times I could have killed you, and not once have you shown the slightest inkling of fear. You have been honest with me from the beginning. I should hate you… but I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted you. But it’s more than that: I need you, Rose. You give me a sense of longing - stronger than I have ever experienced in my lifetime. Try as I might, I cannot rid myself of this feeling of affection that invades my mind at the mere thought of you.”

Carefully, I stand up, taking slow steps towards him. 

He turns his head slightly to see me in his peripherals. “I took you with me because the thought of leaving you there to die, injured by my hand…” He stops as I reach my hand out to lightly rest on his shoulder. At my touch, I could see the tension that had built up in his shoulders from his confession start to release. 

Faster than I could react, he turns back around to face me. One hand goes to my hip, the other to the back of my neck, pulling me into a kiss. Although hesitant at first, it doesn’t take him long to pull me in further. He gently bites my lower lip, causing me to gasp. Taking advantage of it, his tongue glides past my lips to plunder my mouth. The kiss is full of passion and hope. A moan escapes me as his hands pull me flush against his body. 

Reluctantly, I pull away slightly, deprived of oxygen. He leans his forehead against my own. “Say my name,” he whispers.

“What?”

“Say my name,” he says again, slightly louder.

“Loki, I…” He doesn’t allow me to finish, claiming my lips again with his own. 

He’s the one to pull away next, taking a step back so we’re no longer pressed against each other, but close enough to keep his hands on me. “No matter how hard I have tried to fight it, you have become the one thing, the one person I need most - my one weakness. ”

“Don’t say that…”

“Tell me you don’t feel something for me.”

“I can’t” I say softly, looking down at my feet. “I don’t know what I feel. You confuse and excite me. I have felt dead inside for the last six years: you make me feel  _ alive _ again, Loki. And it terrifies me more than anything.” His fingers lightly grab my chin, pulling my eyes back to his. “Loki, please - don’t start a war. Cause you won’t win.”

“You could rule by my side, defend the Earth as their queen,” he offers.

I push him away and turn toward the penthouse windows. “I can’t let you hurt innocent people, no matter what my feelings towards you might be. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” I say with genuine sadness, “but I have to stop you.”

 


	10. There is only the war

“Then you leave me no choice.” The hope disappears from his voice, returning to the cold tone he’d had when we first met.

In the blink of an eye, he’s right in front of me again as he snaps something onto my wrists. I try to pull away, but can’t, meeting resistance no matter what way I move them. Loki takes a step back and I realize what he’s done. My wrists are shackled to chains in the floor, restraining any movement.

“Resisting is useless,” he says as the chains pull tighter, forcing me to my knees. He leans down to whisper in my ear, “Like I said, ‘In the end, you will always kneel’.”

“Please, Loki, don’t do this!” I try to appeal to the man who had revealed himself to me only minutes earlier. But before he can reply, a deafening CRACK fills the air. 

“If you’ll excuse me, little wolf, I have to go start a war,” says Loki before swaggering out onto the balcony, scepter in hand, only to meet Tony in his Iron Man suit as he lands on the platform. As he walks, the pathway around him shifts and machinery comes to life, removing his armor. Both enter the penthouse at the same time: Loki moving in front of me; Tony casually walking to the bar, his eyes widening when they see me, but quickly return to normal before Loki notices.

“Please tell me you’re going to appeal to my humanity,” Loki asks.

“Uh...actually, I’m planning to threaten you,” replies Tony and I can’t help but smirk at his wit.

“You should have left your armor on for that.”

“Yeah, it’s seen a bit of mileage, and you’ve got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?”

“Stalling me won’t change anything.”

“No, no, no, threatening!” Tony proceeds to pull out two glasses from the bar. “No drink? You sure? Rose? I’m having one.”

Loki walks over to the wall of windows, staring out at the city. “The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?”

“The Avengers,” replies Tony as he opens a bottle of whisky. Loki looks at him with confusion. “It’s what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. ‘Earth’s mightiest heroes’ type of thing.”

Smiling, Loki retorts, “Yes, I’ve met them.”

Tony smiles back, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I’ll give you that one. But, let’s do a head count here. Your brother, the demiGod.” Loki sneers at the mention of Thor and momentarily turns away. Tony takes advantage of his distraction as he reaches for something hidden behind the counter before continuing. “A super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legen; a man with breathtaking anger management issues; a couple master assassins, and you big fella, you’ve managed to piss off every single one of them.”

“That was the plan.” Loki begins pacing back and forth in front of me, blocking me from seeing Tony clearly. The latter continues to sip his drink as he walks out from behind the bar.

“Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they’ll come for you.”

“I have an army.”

“We have a hulk,” Tony responds.

“I thought the beast had wandered off,” Loki says sarcastically, pointing out to the city with his scepter.

Tony continues walking toward us. “You’re missing the point. There is no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much for us, but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we’ll avenge it.”

Loki slowly begins stalking towards Tony, raising his sceptre. “How will your friends have time for me, when you’re so busy fighting you?” Upon reaching him, Loki taps Tony’s chest with the point of his scepter just like he had done to me.

Ping! The scepter made a sound as it touched him. Nothing happened. Confused, Loki tries again, and again nothing happens. “This usually works,” he says.

“Well, performance issues. Not uncommon. One out of five...” Tony begins before Loki grabs him by the throat, flinging him across the room in anger.

“Loki, no!” I shout, but my plea falls on deaf ears.

“Jarvis, anytime now,” sputters Tony as he stands up, only for Loki to grab him by the throat again.

“You will all fall before me!”

“Deploy, deploy!” Tony shouts as Loki throws him out the window to freefall down the tower.

“Tony!” I shout as my friend disappears from my view. From the wall behind Loki, a panel opens and a red pod shoots out, knocking him to the floor before following Tony out the window.

Loki stands up in time to face Iron Man as he hovers over the balcony. 

“Oh, and there’s one other person you pissed off! And she’s right behind you.”

Loki raises his scepter, but Iron Man fires first, knocking him back down and in front of me.

I struggle with my bonds, trying to get out and help stop all of this. I remember what Bad Wolf had told me in my dream,  _ ‘Control your emotions or you cannot control this power. You have so much fear, imagine what you could do if you learned to control it.’ _ I try to rein in my emotions, but I’m too afraid: afraid of what Loki will do to the city, and afraid of my feelings for this conflicted man in front of me.

As I struggle, a vaguely familiar sound resounds through the city, as if someone was ripping a hole in the sky. Standing up, Loki’s eyes glance towards the ceiling. “The Chitauri have arrived.”

“Loki.” He turns to me at the use of his name. “Please, listen to me! You can still stop this. You can still close the portal and surrender the Tesseract,” I plead.

He looks at me with an expressions of sadness. “It’s too late. It’s too late to stop it.”

“It’s not too late, it’s never too late! Let me go and I can help you!”

Loki kneels down to look at me. “If I surrender, then what? You and I both know I can’t stay here.”

“I’ll think of something…”

He leans his forehead against mine. “No matter what happens here today, I will come back for you, Rose. I promise.” And with that, he stands up and walks out balcony, his image shimmering as he once again dons his full armor.

Thor lands on the opposite end of the balcony with a thud. “Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I’ll destroy it!”

Loki’s expression turns to one of hatred. “You can’t. There is no stopping it. There is only the war!”

“So be it.”

With a yell, Loki lunges at his brother and their weapons collide. Clangs fill the air as they battle. 

“Quite the dysfunctional family aren’t they?” 


	11. Avengers assemble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of Loki in this chapter, but still covers some important parts.  
> Thank you to everyone who's commented, you're all amazing!

“Mickey!”

“Hey babe. Long time no see!” says my best friend as he steps out of the elevator. He’s wearing full Torchwood tactical field gear. He wore the same boots and field uniform I did, but added his black jacket and possibly six different weapons strapped to his body as well as a magna-gun slung across his back. I’d picked up a slight distaste for guns during my time traveling with the Doctor, but Mickey had come to adore them when moving to this dimension. 

“How’d you know to come here?”

“Some guy named Banner notified Torchwood of the Tesseract’s location, I was already on my way to catch up with you and headed here fast as I could, especially once S.H.I.E.L.D. told us you were MIA. You look awful by the way.”

Looking down at myself, I realized he was right. My shirt barely covered any of me, sticking to me from the drying blood, my blond hair tangled and sticking to my sweaty forehead. “Been a little busy to worry about my looks, trying to save the Earth and all,” I joke. “Think you brought enough guns? And did you really bring the magna-gun?”

He grins at me as he pulls out one of his said guns and he walks up to me. “All I was told was alien invasion, they didn’t say what kind, so I prepared for the worst. Now don’t move, I’m gunna get you outta here. Then you’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

“Oh trust me, I can’t wait to update you. But I’m afraid it’ll have to wait. Now hurry up and get me out of these cuffs!”

With steady hands, he shoots the locks off of the cuffs, freeing me. I rub my wrists, looking at the bruises that had formed from my struggling. I wasn’t too worried, but Mickey was. “Ah man, you okay?”

“This is nothing. Now this,” I pull up my shirt to show him the full extent of my stab wound. Loki was right, it was healing incredibly fast. It was still oozing a small amount of blood, and my muscles were still visible, but at least I wasn’t dying anymore. Mickey looks shocked. “Like I said, long story for later. Short version: not dying, still got Bad Wolf in my head, oh...and I might have kissed an Asgardian.”

“You really can pick ‘em babe.”

I give him a playful shove. The sound of an explosion draws our attention to the battling siblings just outside. A lone S.H.I.E.L.D. jet had been hit and was now spiraling to the ground in front of the tower.

“Let’s go!” I shout and grab Mickey’s hand, dragging him along with me.

“Where?” he asks as I pull him alongside me into the elevator and repeatedly smash the button for the ground floor.

I turn to him and smile, my tongue poking between my teeth. “You’re about to meet my team from across the pond. Tony Stark calls us ‘The Avengers.’ Rather dramatic if you ask me.” 

About half the way down, Mickey looks over at me with a strange intensity. “Are you okay, babe?” he asks softly.

I give him a tight-lipped smile. “I’m always okay.”

“We both know that means ‘not really okay at all.’ What’s bothering ya? You can tell me anything.”

“I know I can Mick,” I let my head hang down, taking a deep breath as the weight of everything that had happened between me and Loki continues to weigh on my mind. “He makes me feel again, things I haven’t felt since losing the Doctor. You know I loved him, but he’s gone. I can’t keep waiting for someone I may never see again.” He looked like he was about to say something but was cut off as we reached the ground floor.

With a ping, the elevator doors open and we’re greeted with the sights and sounds of battle raging on throughout the city. The Chitauri were somewhat humanoid in shape, but had an almost prehistoric look to them, all bone and sinews covered by alien armor. Their weapons were advanced to that of the current Earth technology, resembling blasters powered by energy in place of bullets and gunpowder. They flew around the city on hover transports, raining down fire on innocent bystanders.

Mickey and I immediately switched into our field mission modes: my back straightening and eyes darting around, my pain suddenly forgotten as I take in the scene around us; Mickey’s hands hovering over his weapons, deciding which to use as he looked around for potential threats.  

Out in the street, I could see Captain America, Agent Romanov, and another agent I didn’t recognize with a bow and quiver of arrows fighting Chitauri on the ground. They had taken several out, but before either me or Mickey could lend our help, lightening from the sky killed those that were left. Thor landed seconds after. 

Running up, we joined the small group. “Rose! You’re alive!” Thor said and placed an oversized hand on my shoulder. “I was sure you had sustained a mortal wound.”

“I’m tougher than I look,” I replied with a tight lipped smile.

“What’s the story upstairs?” Steve asked Thor. Agent Romanov comes over and offers Mickey and I small earpiece communicators.

“The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable,” he answers.

I put in my earpiece and am greeted by the sound of Tony’s voice. “Thor is right,” he says, “We gotta deal with these guys.”

“How do we do this?” says Agent Romanov as she takes in the scene around us.

“As a team,” Steve replies. He keeps looking at me with an expression I’d seen on Mickey’s face countless time: worry mixed with relief.

“I have unfinished business with Loki,” Thor states.

The agent with the bow and quiver collects several of his arrows from the fallen Chitauri. “Yeah, get in line,” he responds to Thor.

Steve gives him a look. “Save it. Loki’s gunna keep this fight focused on us and that’s what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he’s gunna need us….”

Before he can finish, Bruce rides up toward us all on a small motorbike that sounds like this could be its last trip. He gets off of the rusty old thing and looks around at the debri and carnage. “So, this all seems horrible.”

Agent Romanov gives him a look. “I’ve seen worse.” Banner’s face takes on a sheepish look as he apologizes. “No, we could use a little worse,” she reassures him.

“Stark?” Steve says into the communicator. “We got him.”

“Banner?” Tony asks.

“Just like you said.”

“Then tell him to suit up. I’m bringing the party to you,” says Tony as he flies into view from behind a building, a giant alien form flying close behind.

“I...I don’t see how that’s a party,” Agent Romanov says, clearly confused at the reference.

Mickey slings he magna-gun around to his front and cocks it. “Oh yeah, this is definitely a party!” Thor looks equally excited as he assumes a battle stance.

The monstrous creature gets closer, smashing buildings in its path. Banner glances at Steve and begins to walk towards the leviathan. “Dr. Banner. Now might be a really good time for you to get angry.”

“That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry.” In almost a blink of an eye, Bruce morphs into a giant green being. With one punch, he brings the leviathan to a stop, crushing into itself. 

“Hold on!” shout Tony as he shoots a rocket into the exposed alien flesh from where Banner had caused the armor to fall off. The creature explodes on impact. Steve runs over and protects me from the explosion with his shield; the archery agent and Romanov duck behind a car; Mickey shields his body with his magna-gun; Thor just shields his eyes as the creature falls to the ground around us, dead. All around us, the Chitauri soldier let out a cry as they see their fallen beast.

Our group makes a small circle, each preparing themselves for battle. I can feel Bad Wolf nudging my mind, and I realize my fear has disappeared, replaced by pure determination to protect and defend. Looking down at my hands, they start to glow as I feel her spreading power throughout body. But instead of instinctively pushing back against the feeling like I had before, I grab onto it, controlling it as if it was a muscle to be flexed. “ _ That’s it Arkytior,” _ Bad Wolf whispers in my mind, “ _ embrace who you are.” _

“Guys,” Agent Romanov says, drawing our attention to the portal in the sky. More Chitauri and two more of the giant beasts fly through. I get several strange looks as the team realizes I’m glowing. 

“Call it, Captain,” states Tony.

“Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal up there, we’re gunna use containment. Barton,” he says, referring to the archery-favoring agent, “I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash.”

“Wanna give me a lift?” Barton asks Tony.

Tony looks over to me and motions to my whole body, “You’ve got some explaining to do about that when this is all over.” I nod in reply. “Right. Better clench up, Legolas,” he warns as he grabs Barton and flies off.

Steve turns his attention to the God of Thunder. “Thor, you’ve gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You’ve got the lightning. Light the bastards up.” Thor replies with a nod before swinging his hammer around and flying off as well.

“You three and me, we stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. And Hulk...” Banner’s large alter-ego turns with a growl. Steve points up to the surrounding aliens, “smash.”

With a grin, the Hulk leaps off the ground, landing on the side of a building and immediately begins smashing the alien army.

“Steve,” I get the Captain’s attention, my voice sounding slightly different now that I’ve fused with Bad Wolf.

“Rose, you good? I didn’t realize you were gifted.”

“A story for another time. For now, I just need you to trust me. I need to get back up there. I may be the only one who can close the portal.”

He nods his approval. “Alright then, do it. Agent Romanov and I will stay here on the ground. And Rose,” he hesitates, giving me a sky smile, “glad you’re here with us. Welcome to the team.”

I smile at the Captain before I give Mickey a look he knows means “follow me.” But as we can make our way back to Stark Tower, we’re surrounded by a dozen Chitauri. I relax into a fighting stance and smile a wolf’s smile at my enemy.

  
  
  
  



	12. Flashbacks and freakouts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The battle for New York! This part was rather difficult to write if I'm honest.   
> Thank you for all the feedback I've gotten so far. It's been a tremendous help and motivates me to keep writing. You are all fantastic!

 

To anyone watching, it would look like I’m moving with incredible speed. But the reality was quite different: I wasn’t moving any faster, time was just moving slower to me. With the power of the Vortex running through me, it was like everything around me was moving through water. I could avoid falling debris and enemy gunfire with ease. And the gunfire that I didn’t just sidestep I could absorb - just like I did with the Dalek gunfire so long ago - and shoot back at them.

But this much power didn’t come without a price. I could feel my body slowly growing weaker from the strain. The wound in my abdomen was aching again, Loki’s spell must have worn off. 

Mickey was holding his own, a gleeful look on his face as he blasted a hovercraft out of the sky with his magna-gun. Glancing up, I saw just how many had come through the portal. The number was in the thousands by now. There was no way we could defeat all of them. Agent Romanov must have been thinking the same thing: “None of this is gunna mean a damn thing if we don’t close that portal!”

“Our biggest guns couldn’t touch it,” he shouts back.

“Maybe it’s not about guns!” I say, pointing up to the hovercrafts flying around.

“Rose,” Mickey says beside me. “How’re we gunna get up there? It’s not like we’ve got a ride hanging around.”

“I think we just might,” I say with a mischievous smile.

Mickey rolls his eyes as he realizes what I’m thinking. “You sure about this babe? Why can’t we just take the lift?”

I poke my tongue between my teeth in a flirtatious manner. “What fun would that be?”

With a nod, we both take a running start and sprint up a slab of fallen rock, jumping up into the air to grab onto passing hovercraft. He climbs up onto the platform of his first, shooting all three aliens before assuming control of the steering. I shoot energy at the aliens on mine, effectively terminating each of them. I take the controls, glancing over at Mickey and mouth “Race ya!”  

We zoom through the city, shooting down other hovercrafts as we race back to Stark Tower. Out of nowhere, the side of Mickey’s craft is hit. Looking behind me, I can see him. Loki controls his own hovercraft, his eyes narrowing as he sees me and closes the gap between us.

“Mick, you gotta speed up! Get in front of me!” I shout to my friend, hoping he hears me. He looks behind us and sees Loki. With a nod to me, he speeds ahead and we race between buildings, madly driving and dodging debris and gunfire.

Over the communicator, I hear Agent Barton’s voice. “What the hell are you two doing?”

Before I can respond, my craft is hit and I start to lose control. “Uh….a little help!” I ask.

“I’ve got him,” Agent Barton reassures.

A few seconds pass, followed by an explosion behind me. Turning to look, I see Loki blown away from the ruined hovercraft, crashing into the balcony of the Stark Tower penthouse. 

Mickey has already jumped ship on top of the tower. My craft is spiraling out of control, and I crash into the tower before I can reach the top, landing with a harsh thud on the same balcony as Loki.

My connection with Bad Wolf breaks, and instantly the weariness and pain that had been pushed aside resurface, and I let out a strangled cry.

Loki’s head shoots up at the sound of another person, immediately ready to attack. “Calm down there mate, it’s just me,” I say through gritted teeth. Out of the corner of my eye I see him approaching, and I try to roll over and sit up to face him, but am met with a sharp pain in the back of my leg. Falling back I just lay there on the debris-covered balcony and let out a pained laugh. “I just can’t catch a break today can I?”

“You certainly have a strange sense of humor, little wolf.” Loki stands over me, looking down with narrowed eyes. 

“When you’ve traveled and seen what I’ve seen, it’s bound to happen.”

He kneels down, pulling a glass shard out of my leg, a small gasp escaping my lips. “Not my preferred method of eliciting a gasp from you,” he says, his mischievous grin in place. He was starting to rival Captain Jack with his sexual innuendos.

“Don’t promise a girl a good time.” A flirtatious smile of my own appears in the midst of the gunfire and explosions surrounding us.

“Oh, Rose,” he leans forward until he’s whispering huskily in my ear. “I would never make you a promise I do not intend to keep.” My body shivers at his words.

“You barely even know me…” I begin to say.

“A small problem I soon hope to rectify,” he interrupts. 

My smile fades. “You may not like it. You probably wouldn’t believe me, I’m sure it all sounds crazy. You might actually hate me.”

“Then don’t tell me...show me.” He gently puts a hand on the side of my temple, and I close my eyes as I feel him push into my memories.

_ “Nice to meet you Rose! Run for your life!” My first Doctor says after grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the living plastic in Henrik’s Department Store basement, all big ears and blue eyes. And then he’s asking “You could come with me?” and for some reason I tell him no, instantly regretting it as his impossible blue ship fades away with a sort of groaning/wheezing sound. But he reappears moments later to say “Did I mention? It also travels in time.” And I run towards the promise of seeing the stars and all they have to offer. _

_ I saw the end of the world when the sun expands in the year five billion (also known as 5.5/apple/26). I met Charles Dickens and saved London from the Gelth. I stopped World War III with the future prime minister, Harriet Jones. I felt sorry for a Dalek and convinced the Doctor to let it die in peace. I tried to save my dad when I was just a baby. I floated across London hanging onto a war balloon during World War II, only to be saved by a handsome time agent turned con-man named Captain Jack Harkness. I absorbed the time vortex, destroyed all of the Daleks, but caused the Doctor to regenerate.  _

_ “Rose Tyler. I was going to take you to so many places. Barcelona. Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona. You’d love it. Fantastic place! They’ve got dogs with no noses! Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke and it’s still funny!” He says in his Northern accent. _

_ My younger self looks at him, confused. “Then...why can’t we go?” _

_ “Maybe you will and maybe I will. But not like this.” Even on the brink of death he manages to look happy with life. _

_ “You’re not making sense.” _

_ “I might never make sense again! I might have two heads, or no head. Imagine me with no head, ha! And don't say that's an improvement... But it's a bit dodgy, this process. You never know what you're going to end up with. _

_ “Time Lords have this little trick. It's sort of a way of cheating death. Except... it means I'm going to change. And I'm not going to see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face. And before I go…” _

_ “Don’t say that!” I ask. _

_ “Rose, before I go, I just want to tell you you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what? So was I!” And with that, his whole body erupts, energy blasting out of him before he changes into a different man with brown hair and brown eyes, and a smile that would melt my heart. _

_ He’s different, very different at first. But it’s a good different, and any reservations I have about him disappear when he opens the Tardis doors on the Sycorax ship on Christmas Day, “Did you miss me?” _

_ It just feels right, traveling with my Doctor in his pin-striped suit, always holding my hand and smiling at me as he pulls me out of yet another near-death adventure. But I love it. And I love him.  _

_ We go to the fifteenth New York on a planet light years away from Earth. We meet Queen Victoria and a werewolf on the same day. He promises that I won’t be left behind like so many of his other companions after Sarah Jane Smith tells me he didn’t even drop her off in the right city. I almost lose him and get stuck on a spaceship named after Madame de Pompadour. We fall into a parallel dimension, where my best friend decides to stay. We face the devil and almost lose the Tardis.  _

_ He asks me once how long I was going to stay with him. I told him forever. _

_ Everything was perfect until the Torchwood Institute in my home world opened the void and let Cybermen and Daleks in. The worst day of my life, the day that I died, at least to everyone at home.  _

_ A week goes by, and my depression grows, until I wake up hearing his voice. Calling me to a beach in Norway - Darlig ulv Stranden. But all I get is a hologram. “I’m burning up a sun, just to say goodbye.” _

_ I finally say the words that should have been said long before, “I...I love you.” _

_ “Quite right, too. And I suppose, if it’s my last chance to say it...Rose Tyler, I…” but the connection breaks before he can finish, and I’ll never know if he was going to say it back. _

Loki pulls his hand away, allowing my memories to retreat to the back of my mind. All the emotions I had buried six years ago remain, lingering like the pain after tearing open an old wound. I wipe away my tears, but they keep falling. I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop crying. My heart was racing; I couldn’t get enough air. Every breath was ragged as my abdomen burned with pain at the slightest movement. It was all too much, all at once.

Strong arms wrap around me, scooping me up and holding me close. The scent of leather and stardust hit me as I lean into the strong frame against me, finding comfort in the arms of the man I least expected.

 


	13. Closing the portal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible change of rating after this chapter, just a heads up!

“Rose! Rose, can you hear me?!”

I was brought out of my haze by the sound of Mickey’s voice screaming in my ear over the communicator. With a sigh, I put a hand on Loki’s chest and make a move to untangle myself from his arms. He resists at first, but slowly releases his hold.

“I’m here Mick. I’m good,” I respond with a hand to my ear so Loki understands I’m not talking to myself. He probably already thinks I’m insane. I hear Mickey sigh in relief over the comm.

“There’s a scientist up here, that Selvig bloke Loki mind-controlled. Says he thinks he knows how to close the portal.”

“What? How?” 

“Loki’s scepter,” Mickey says. “It’s probably with the green-eyed monster himself.”

I sigh. “I’ll do it. Just give me a minute, yeah?” Looking over at Loki, I see the sympathy in his eyes slowly disappear. “You know I have to try, if it means an end to this war. It’s up to you if you want to try and stop me.”

“Must you always run head-on towards danger?” he asks with a sigh. Clearly he’d heard everything Mickey had said.

“Jeopardy friendly, me. Are you going to try to stop me?” I ask sadly. I desperately didn’t want to fight him. Even with all of my combat training and knowledge of Venusian aikido (a form a self-defense I learned from the Doctor), he was stronger and more skilled in hand-to-hand than I was.

“Would it do any good if I tried?” He slowly began leaning in closer.

“Afraid not,” I reply, my voice barely a whisper. His lips brush up against mine, teasing but not quite touching. 

“You could stay,” he whispers with a husky tone. “We could...get to know each other more intimately.” My breath hitches in my throat, my mind instantly running a handful of scenarios. He smiles at me, that grin like he’s getting exactly what he wants.

Luckily for the people of New York, I was very good at fighting against certain urges. I’d gotten plenty of practice in my years traveling in the Tardis. Although my body screamed to let him win, my mind was the voice of reason, reminding me who I was and what I had to do.

Pushing him away, I give him a small smile. “It’s been almost eight years for me, I can wait a bit longer.”

His eyes widen, and I can practically see the questions running through his head. “But that’s a conversation for much later I think,” I say as I stand up, limping slightly, brushing my hands on my ripped up pants. I was quite the sight: shirt torn in the middle, covered in dried blood; pants with dirt and blood stains and a rip where the glass shard had pierced the back of my leg.

Suddenly, the voice of Director Fury is shouting over the communicator: “Stark, you hearing me? We have a missile headed straight for the city.”

“How long?” Tony’s voice replies.

“Three minutes, at best. Stay low and wipe out the missle.”

His voice cuts out with a buzz. I glance down at the floor; Loki’s scepter lying there. “They’re going to completely destroy the city. Everyone, not just the Chitauri. If this missile hits, it will wipe out everything.” I put a hand on his arm, looking into his green eyes. “You may think that these people are nothing better than stupid little apes barely down from the trees, but I have to save them. It’s what I do, it’s who I am.”

“You’re an astonishing creature, Rose Tyler; I don’t think I’ll ever understand you perfectly. I won’t stop you from finishing what I couldn’t.”

I pull him in for a quick kiss, freezing when I realize what I had done. Before, he had always initiated the kiss. He simply smiles down at my shocked face. “Ah, so you do feel something for me.”

“Just shut up and kiss me, Loki.” With a low growl, he gladly complies, devouring my lips with a passionate embrace.

I have to practically push myself away from his body. I could have stayed there in his arms forever, but I knew there was a job to be done. Leaning down, I grab Loki’s scepter and sprint for the elevator, sparing a glance back at the lonely god as the doors closed.

The elevator didn’t go all the way to the roof. Limping up the stairs, I threw myself against the door in my hurry, falling out of the doorway in a tumble of limbs. Mickey immediately jumps to my aid. “Oi! You okay, babe?”

“I will be, Mick,” I say with a smile, holding up the scepter. Mickey returns my smile with one of his own. In the middle of the roof, the Tesseract sits in the center of a energy field powering the portal door. Nearby, an older man, probably mid-fifties, with thinning hair and slightly protruding gut was clacking away at a laptop. He looks very disheveled; it was difficult to tell if it was from the wind or everything he’d been through. 

“Doctor Selvig?”

“Yes… I, oh! You have it!”

“How is this going to work, doc?” Mickey asks from beside me.

“The scepter is the failsafe. It’s the only thing that can penetrate the energy forcefield. You’ll have to place it in right here, right at the crown.”

I glance at Mickey before placing the tip of the scepter where Selvig had pointed. My body begins to glow as I pull Bad Wolf into my body. All the weariness and pain fades away, giving me the strength to push the scepter through the energy field. It slowly breaks through the forcefield, inches away from the Tesseract. Over the communicator I shout, “I can close it! Can anybody hear me? I can shut the portal down!”

“Do it!” Steve’s voice yells over to me.

“No, wait!” Tony replies.

“Stark, these things are still coming!” Steve tries to reason with him.

“I got a nuke coming in, it’s gunna blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it.” I smile as I realize what Tony is thinking.

“Stark. You know that’s a one-way trip?” Steve asks, suddenly sounding deathly serious.

Not far away, I can see it: Iron Man with a missile on his back, flying fast towards the portal in the sky before disappearing in the blackness within. He must have hit his target; all of the Chitauri soldiers suddenly collapse, even the giant leviathans crash to the ground.

The sounds of battle die away into silence, but I don’t take my eyes off of the portal. “Come on, Tony…” I mutter to no one in particular. 

Moments pass, and still nothing. Steve’s voice comes over the communicator, “Close it.”

With one last look at the portal, I slowly push the scepter further into the forcefield until it touches the Tesseract. The energy projects outward, Bad Wolf absorbing the majority before it blasts me away and all the power cuts out, closing the portal.

Now lying on my back, I can see a small figure falling from the sky. With a groan, I push myself up off the ground and back to my feet, Bad Wolf once again returning to the back of my mind and allowing the pain and exhaustion to slowly flow back through me. “Mick, get Doctor Selvig to a medic. That gash on his head could be a concussion.”

“What about you?” 

“I just need a minute. Meet you down there in a bit, yeah?”

He nods his understanding. Our partnership was strong enough we didn’t need to verbally communicate everything anymore: he knew where I was going without my having said anything.

Shifting my focus back to Tony, I realize he’s not slowing down. Out of nowhere, the Hulk grabs him out of the air, crashing and sliding down a building before landing on a bridge with Thor and Captain America close on his heels.

Knowing that my friend is safe, I grab the scepter and limp my way back down to the penthouse. I stumble down the stairs into the elevator, collapsing against the wall as it slowly descends clutching my bleeding abdomen in a vain attempt to quell the pain. 

The door opens with a ding, and I push my own weariness aside as I take in the scene before me. The floor has been destroyed, deep gashes spread out. Pulling himself slowly out of one of the gashes is the man I had left here minutes earlier.

“Oh my god, what happened?” Immediately I stumble over to Loki’s side.

He lets out a small laugh, looking up at me with half a smile. “Ahh, I should be asking you the same question. Your mindless beast jumped in just after you left. Safe to say we didn’t get along.” His expression changes to concern when his eyes drift to my head. He reaches out to brush his fingers against my forehead. I grimace as another spike of pain shoots through me. 

“I’ll be fine. I heal pretty fast, remember?”

His eyes scan down the rest of my body, his forehead crinkling with worry the longer he looks. I practically fall down in an attempt to sit next to him, letting out a his of pain as I do. Every muscle aches; pain shoots through my abdomen with every move I make; I feel completely drained, as if all the energy has been sucked out of my body. He snakes an arm around me, pulling me into his side. He rests an ice cold hand against my abdomen, the area numbing slightly.

“What happens now?” I whisper.

“I expect your  _ Avengers _ ,” he says the word like it leaves a bad taste in his mouth, “will come to find us soon now that the Chitauri are all dead.”


	14. What to do with the prisoner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's taking me a bit longer to write these last few chapters. There's so many different ways this could go, it's been a struggle deciding on just one.
> 
> Just as a warning, the rating will go up next chapter (hint hint, wink wink)
> 
> Please leave a comment with your thoughts, it really brightens up my day!

Loki was right. It didn’t take long for Tony, Steve, Hulk, Mickey, Agents Romanov and Barton, and Thor to assemble in the penthouse, all with their weapons pointed at Loki. His arm around me stiffens.

“It’s over Loki, let her go,” Steve says calmly, the first to break the silence.

“Oi, let her go mate,” Mickey threatens.

“It’s okay, he’s not going to hurt me” I murmur, barely taking my head off of Loki’s chest to look at my team. 

Loki’s grip around my waist tightens protectively. Glancing at Tony, he says, “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll have that drink now.”

They all just glare at him; I have to stifle a chuckle, my body shaking slightly before I let out a groan from the pain. “No need for all the weapons, we can all be civil here.” Only Mickey lowered his gun. I let out a sigh. “Look, if you attack him, you’ll hurt me and then you’ll just piss him off. I’m tired, I’m hungry...so we need to figure something out fast, okay?”

“I say we kill him,” Barton growls out.

“Did you listen to a thing I just said?” I say, frustrated.  _ This must be why the Doctor gets frustrated so easily: he has to repeat himself all the time! He has the patience of a saint!  _ I think to myself.

“Rose is right,” Thor chimes in. “He needs to return home to face Asgardian justice.” I can feel Loki stiffen at the mention of returning to his home. 

“You just want to let him go?” Steve asks.

“No, not let him go. Loki has committed crimes against Asgardian law and must pay the consequences.”

“He’s committed crimes against humanity, I think he should face American justice,” responds Steve.

“Maybe Point Break is right,” Tony adds. “If he did stay here,” he says to Steve, “where would we keep him? Even S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn’t hold him in their top containment cell.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t the only one with cells,” Mickey murmurs. Loki gives him a glare, all of his muscles tightening in preparation of a fight.

“What about the Tesseract?” Agent Romanov says.

“The Tesseract is too dangerous to leave on Earth, and it is the only way to return to Asgard,” Thor states.

My headache begins to grow worse at all of their loud bickering. “We don’t necessarily have to decide this instant. We can get some food and sleep on it and come to a decision tomorrow. Agreed?”

All of their faces went blank, but no one objects. They all look as ragged and tired as I do. “Shawarma anyone?” Tony suggests.

“What to we do with him til then?” Steve motions his head towards Loki.

“I’ll take responsibility for him. I go where he goes.”

“Rose, you sure that’s a good idea?” Mickey questions. Loki continues glaring at him, the familiar look of hatred in his eyes.

“He won’t hurt me, and this way I can make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else. You have to trust me, you all do.”

“Oh, like you trusted us with your hidden glowing abilities?” says Tony, slight bitterness in his tone.

“I’m sorry, Tony. You’re right, it isn’t a completely fair trade, but trust has to start somewhere. I promise I’ll give you an explanation when this is all over. But we can’t just turn him over to S.H.I.E.L.D. or else we’ll never get him out.”

Tony nods his head in acceptance of my apology. “We can stay here tonight, decide what to do in the morning. There’s a safe room we can keep him in, I’ll have Jarvis turn on lockdown protocols so it’ll be secure.”

“As long as I can get some sleep, it’ll work,” I reply, making a move to stand up but my legs don’t support me and I fall back down.

Mickey holsters his gun and walks over to me. “You aren’t seriously going to stay with him, babe? In the same room?” He makes a move to help me up, but Loki pulls me tighter and glares at him, hatred rolling off of him.

“Don’t. Touch. Her.” Loki growls. “She doesn’t need you.”

“The hell she doesn’t. She isn’t going anywhere with you…”

Loki shifts as if to attack. I place a hand on his chest and look up at him. “Loki.” His attention immediately turning to me, his look of hatred calming. “Will you help me?” In answer, he practically lifts me off the ground to my feet. I smile up at him before turning to Mickey. He’s looking at me like I’ve genuinely lost it, realizing that this was the Asgardian I had mentioned kissing.

“Jarvis wouldn’t happen to have a spare set of clothes lying around would he?” I ask Tony.

He answers with a grin of his own. “I’ll take care of everything. There will be something in your room for you. Try not to ruin it though, will you?”

“As long as there’s food along with it,” I joke, smiling with my tongue between my teeth. “I could murder some chips right now.”

 

Thor and Mickey escort us to the safe room, located all the way down in the basement. Loki had picked me up completely in the elevator as I almost pass out. Mickey’s face kept switching from concern to amusement. Thor never took his eyes off of Loki, watching with confusion as he held me in his arms.

“If you have some sort of control over her...”

“Quite the opposite, brother.”

“No one makes decisions for me anymore,” I say to Thor. 

Mickey snorts. “Ain’t that the truth.”

“I heard that!” I mumble.

Finally, we reach the third basement level with a ping. The doors open and reveal a small room, surrounded by metal walls with a door that looked like it belonged in a swiss bank. A voice comes out of a speaker hidden somewhere in the room. “Greetings. Mr. Stark has instructed me to let Miss Tyler and her companion into the safe room. Only Miss Tyler is to have access in or out of the room until Mr. Stark updates the protocols tomorrow morning.”

Mickey lets out a laugh at the mention of “my companion.” I couldn’t help but smirk myself.

With a loud hiss of air, the vault door swings open,  most likely fully stocked. There were two doorways in the back leading to two large bedrooms with king size beds and a private full size bathroom.

Loki sets me down on the couch. “I think we’ll be good here, boys. Go enjoy Shawarma, yeah?” I give Thor and Mickey an encouraging smile as they stand at the doorway awkwardly. “Call Pete for me, will you Mick? And maybe track down my phone? I think it got left on the helicarrier.”

“Sure thing, babe. You know where to find me if you need anything,” he says, motioning for Thor to leave us be. With one last hard look at Loki, Thor reluctantly turns and shuts the heavy door behind them, sealing shut with a click. 

With a deep breath, I collapse against the couch. “You’ll sleep better once you’re cleaned up,” Loki says from behind me. Both of his hands are on my shoulders, rubbing soft circles into my skin. His battle armor has disappeared, returning to his traditional leather and robes. 

“The shower is a long way away though,” I complain.

He leans down so he’s whispering in my ear: “I’d be happy to lend my assistance.” His husky voice making my spine tingle. 

“You’re not making this easy for me you know.”

His hands disappear from my shoulders. “You said yourself you’ve gone eight year without, why torture yourself further? Is it because you still have feelings for your precious Doctor?” His tone has lost all its playfulness, sounding bitter and hurt.

“Why are you bringing him into this?”

“Don’t try to deny it! I saw your memories!”

“It wasn’t like that,” I sigh. “Yes, I loved him. But I don’t know if he loved me back. I doubt I’ll ever know. He never touched me; nothing ever happened between us. I spent something like three years traveling with him, and five lonely years here. Probably the last person I had that type of relationship with was Mickey.” The hatred returns to his eyes at the mention of Mickey touching me. “I was a teenager back then; we were both young, best friends since childhood...it’s not uncommon for humans. But that’s all in the past,” I reassure. “He’s just a friend. He isn’t the one making me question my sanity every five minutes.”

He seems to calm down at my confession. “There has been no one else for you? Seems contradictory for typical human behavior.”

I let out a harsh chuckle. “For a typical human sure. But you said yourself I’m not a typical human. I’m broken. I lost a part of me that day he told me goodbye on the beach. No one deserves to be stuck with someone like me. And I was too afraid, afraid to be left again.” My voice is barely a whisper now, my head hanging down. It hurt to say it all out loud, to admit just how broken and fragile I really was, but I felt compelled to tell him the truth. I close my eyes, trying to hold back the tears that threaten to spill over.

He’s by my side in an instant, gently taking my face in my hands, forcing me to look at him. “Even if we are separated tomorrow, I promise you I will always come back for you. I will never abandon you.”

My heart leapt. I couldn’t hold back the smile that overtook my face. He returns his smile with one of his own, a genuine one, before softly kissing me.

I push him away before the kiss can go any further. He looks confused at my rejection. “Why do you resist what you so clearly desire?”

“I want you more than you can imagine, but I don’t want to rush into this. I still don’t understand my feelings for you. We shouldn’t be doing this! You invaded my planet for fuck’s sake! Throwing anything physical into the mix…”

I’m cut off as he scoops me up in his arms and begins walking towards one of the bedrooms. Struggling in his grasp, “Loki, what the hell!”

His expression is smug. “You aren’t thinking clearly, little wolf. You haven’t slept in 72 hours, haven’t eaten, and lost in incredible amount of energy harnessing your power. Let’s start with getting you out of these ruined garments and cleaning all of the dried blood off of you.”

I couldn’t really argue with him there. I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since before Stuttgart. Getting knocked out didn’t really count. The last time I’d eaten was blueberries with Tony on the helicarrier. And being covered in my own dried blood was probably a constant reminder that he’d hurt me. 

Walking into the bedroom, he carries me into the adjacent bathroom. Upon entering, he freezes as if unsure what to do from here. I smile, holding back a laugh. This powerful god didn’t know how a human shower worked!

“I think I can manage from here.” Reluctantly he sets me down. Turning on the shower, I have to lean against the wall for support. When I turn around, he’s gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

It takes a lot of effort to remove my ruined clothes. My stab wound was still there, just a long jagged cut remaining. Still hurts like a bitch though. Stepping into the oversized shower, I sink down, not enough strength left to stand, letting the hot water wash away the evidence from the day.

Finally relaxed, all the adrenaline that had been holding me together wears off completely. Without it, my body could finally process the shock it had gone through. Curling into a ball, my body explodes with pain. Within moments, I surrender to my exhaustion, drifting off to sleep.

 


	15. Safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for this chapter: nsfw. All of the tension we've been enjoying has finally reached a point. This is also my first time writing a sex scene, so please don't judge too harshly.  
> As always, comments are amazing and I adore them so much!

It would have been to much to ask for dreamless sleep.

_ I was fighting in New York again, surrounded by gunfire. The difference was, this time we were losing. And it wasn’t the Chitauri. We were surrounded by Daleks: thousands of Daleks hovering around the city, murdering everyone in their path. Looking down, I saw my Torchwood team, dead on the street, including Mickey.  _

_ “Exterminate! Exterminate!” The Daleks screamed throughout the city in their metal casings. Suddenly, my arms are shackled again, pulling me down to my knees. Looking up, Loki stands before me, attired in full battle armor.  _

_ Striding towards me, he holds my chin in his hands, forcing me to look at him. “All that power, hidden behind so much fear. Imagine what you could do if you didn’t let fear control you.” _

_ “I’m not afraid!” I’m shouting, but even I know it’s a lie. I’m completely terrified. _

_ He leans down in front of me, his tone changing from his usual cockiness to soft and pleading. “You can stop all of this, little wolf. Just learn how to control it.” _

_ I don’t get a chance to reply. Before my eyes, a Dalek blast hits him, and he crumbles before me. Agony erupts in my chest, like someone had reached into me and ripped out my heart. I cry out, the pain was worse than anything I’d ever experienced.  _

_ Everything around me begins to turn to dust, Daleks and buildings alike melting into particles. My head burns with energy, the amount of power putting an immense amount of pressure inside my skull. The stars begin twinkling out of existence, until the sky is nothing but an endless black pit. _

_ Suddenly, I’m falling again, the void behind me pulling me into its dark and endless abyss of hell. _

I wake up shouting, “No, no, not again!” It took me a moment to realize I was still curled up in the shower. I didn’t remember it being gold though. That’s when I realize, I’m glowing. I’ve lost control, the lights in the bathroom flickering off and on. 

Loki bursts in, throwing the shower door open. Ignoring the water and my nakedness, he sinks down next to me, holding me close. “Shhh, it’s okay, Rose. You’re safe now.”

His comforting words and reassuring presence slowly calms me down. The glow fades from my skin and the lighting returns to normal. “You were dead! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I murmur into his chest. 

“It’s alright, darling. It was just a dream.” With a glimmer, his armor disappears, and I’m leaning against his bare skin. My mind no longer clouded by exhaustion, I can look at him clearly. His skin is paler than mine and feels cold to the touch despite the hot water raining down on us. His muscles are well defined, although not as prominent as his adoptive brother’s. There are scars spread over his body, some old and some fairly recent looking. I can’t resist as I gently reach out and run my hand over a scar on his chest.

Glancing a bit lower, I suddenly realize we are both naked. Immediately, I yank my hand away, crossing them over my chest to cover myself up. I can feel a blush burning my cheeks.

“You are stunning, Rose. Why do you hide yourself?”

“Some humans aren’t as confident with their bodies as Asgardians I guess.” Although that wasn’t the whole truth. It wasn’t my nude body that I was trying to hide - I’d gotten used to being naked for Torchwood’s physical exams after field missions. I was trying to cover up my arousal.

“I too am broken, Rose,” he says, his eyes reading mine. “All the pain and suffering I have endured was worth it, as it has led me to you. If I had to go through it all again, I would if it meant holding you in my arms.”

“What are you saying?” I whisper, confused how a man who thoughtless kills could be so gentle and comforting.

“What I feel for you...I never have nor will ever feel for any other being.” The arm not holding me reaches around to cup my face. 

I’m not sure if he was going to say anything else. With those words, I close the gap between us, pushing my lips against his. My embarrassment disappears as I throw my arms around his neck. He pulls me around until I’m sitting sideways in his lap, all of me within his view.

The kiss is passionate and full of need, both of us vying for dominance with our tongues. I break away first, my lungs screaming for air. Leaning forward, I shut the water off and make an attempt to leave his embrace.

Loki lets out a growl, pulling me closer to plant kisses along my neck. “And just where do you think you’re going?”

“We have a huge bed at our disposal, you really want to stay in here?”

With a huge grin, he answers by standing up, pulling me along with him. Water droplets drip down from his long raven hair. His impressive member at full attention.

Grabbing a towel, I start trying to dry myself off. Loki’s form just glitters, instantly dry again. I shoot him a glare, jealous of his magic. It doesn’t help as he stands behind me, peppering my shoulders and neck with kisses, distracting me.

He grows impatient, pushing the towel away and pulling me into his body. He devours my lips, completely dominating the kiss. Slowly, we wander back towards the bedroom. My knees hit the edge of the bed and I fall backwards, Loki looking down at me. 

“Do you want this, Rose?”

I pull him down next to me. “I saw you die. It felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. Don’t make me go through that again.  I...I can’t explain it but… I  _ need _ you, Loki.”

“Believe me, darling, I never plan on letting you go.” His hands are all over my body, exploring every spot, lingering over the ones that make me gasp or moan. My fingers plunge into his long locks, pulling him in for a deep kiss. I can feel him smiling against my mouth as I gasp with pleasure.

His hand finds my breast, kneading it with his palm before pinching my nipple, eliciting a moan from my lips. 

He moves his lips to my neck, sucking and biting. In between gasps, I manage, “You’ll leave a mark.”

“Oh Rose, I do hope so. I want them all to know you are mine!” He accentuates his point by biting the spot where my shoulder and neck meet, prompting a loud gasp to escape.

A burning sensation has been growing between my thighs. I can feel his hard member pressing against me. The sudden need for him inside me is overwhelming. I open my legs wider, inviting him closer. He looks at me and smirks; he knows what I want. He slides a hand up and down my thigh, always coming close to my burning center but not where I’m aching for his touch.

“Loki…” I moan. He devours my lips with his at the mention of his name.

“I shall never grow tired of hearing my name from your lips,” he growls.

My hips buck against his in an attempt for friction, something to help quench the fire between my legs.

“Do you need attention somewhere?” His smug tone is as infuriating as it is sexy.

“You know what I need!”

Finally, his hand strokes all the way up my leg, stroking my burning heat. “So wet for me.” He grins mischievously, grasping my hands in his and holding them above my head. “Tell me what you need.”

“I need you to touch me!”

“Oh, but I am touching you,” he replies, his voice dripping with lust. “Fight it all you want, but it’s your unspoken truth: that you desire my touch. That you need it  _ desperately _ .” Each words sends shivers down my spine, increasing the burning sensation threatening to consume me.

“Please, Loki, please, I need you!” I cry out.

He positions himself between my thighs, the tip of his length just barely brushing against where I need it most. “Tell me you want me, only me. I want you to beg, scream out my name so you know that you are mine,” he whispers in my ear.

“Loki, please, I want you. I  _ need _ you. Only you.” I gasp out, my voice filled with emotion. “I am yours, and I always will be.” It’s barely a whisper, but he’s close enough to hear it.

With one swift motion, he enters me. I cry out from the sudden intrusion. He pauses, letting my body adjust before rocking his hips. My hips meet his every thrust. With each thrust, he enters me harder and faster. I can feel the heat inside me building, reaching a peak that I’m so close to falling off of.

Before I can, he slows his motions. I whimper with need. “Say my name,” growls Loki.

“Loki,” I moan.

“Say my name!” His thrusts resume their mad pace, hitting a spot inside me that drove me close to the edge.

“Loki!” I scream out his name as I fall over the edge, feeling him release inside me.

Coming down from my high, I pull him in for a kiss. 


	16. Where do we go from here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, reviews are lovely and I genuinely enjoy hearing your thoughts!

I could have slept in his arms forever.

My stomach disagreed.

Waking up, I’m laying across Loki’s chest, one of his arms lazily strewn over me. There’s a blanket covering our bottom halves, but my whole body is still covered in goosebumps. Even with my added body heat, his skin is still cool to the touch. My stomach growls loudly, fully waking me from my drowsy state.

“If you could keep it down, some of us are trying to sleep.” Loki’s eyes are cracked slightly open, looking down at me. 

A smile crosses my face, my tongue peeking out between my teeth. “Oh, well, excuse me,  _ your majesty _ ,” my voice dripping with sarcasm.

In an instant, he’s rolled us over, pinning me underneath him with his body. “Mmmm, I rather enjoy hearing those words from your lips,” he purrs in my ear.

My stomach growls again, even louder. “Good god, is there a beast hiding in your stomach you neglected to tell me of?”

I chuckle. “No, I’m just hungry. Starving actually.” As if agreeing, a soft growl rumbles out. I make a move to get up, but he doesn’t budge, still trapping me with his weight. “You know in order to find food I have to get up, yeah?”

“It’s a shame to get up when we’re enjoying ourselves so much.” He emphasized his point by kissing down my jaw line.

A burning sensation began stirring inside me again. “Loki please…”

“Please continue? Gladly!” Moving from my jaw he starting working his way down towards my breasts.

“Loki, I swear if I don’t eat something soon my insides will start eating themselves!”

With a sigh, he reluctantly pulls away, casting a long look over my body as he rolled to his side. I sit up, pulling the covers up to cover myself. “How long were we asleep?”

“Only a few hours.” Rising from the bed, his form shimmers momentarily until he’s once again fully clothed in his green and gold leather.

Rolling my eyes, I mumble out, “Cheater.” He shoots me a mischievous grin.

“What was that, little wolf?” Quicker than I can react, he pulls the blankets off of me. I let out a squeak as the cold air hits me.

He’s smiling at me. A true, genuine smile. I can’t help but smile back as I get up and grab a robe out of the closet.  _ If only this happiness could last _ , I thought to myself. As if reading my mind, Loki appears in front of me, tilting my face up to his. Although a small smile still plays across his lips, there’s sadness in his eyes.

“No matter what happens, they cannot keep you away from me for long. I’ve waited over a thousand years to find you, Rose. I’m not letting you go easily.”

An idea occurred to me. “The Tesseract acts like a portal between worlds right?”

Surprised by my sudden change of subject, he looks at me quizzically. “I’m afraid I don’t follow...”

“When I was unconscious on the way to Stark Tower, I had a dream, or a vision, something. Bad Wolf spoke to me, told me the stars were going out. Time is dying, and I’m the only one who can fix it.” Now the hard part. I’d been dreading sharing this news since I realized how connected he was to me. My voice was barely more than a whisper. “But I can’t do it alone. I have to go back, back to the Doctor’s dimension and find him. It’s the only way to stop what’s coming.”

Any trace of happiness he had was gone in an instant, he face returning to barely contained rage. I could feel the energy rolling off of him in waves, suddenly realizing I had never seen him truly use his powers; I had no idea the extent of what he was capable of.

His hands curl into fists until his knuckles turned white. “You would go back to him, after everything he’s put you through!” His voice is tight, full of rage. “Has this meant nothing to you?” Almost yelling now, he points at the disheveled bed. “After everything we’ve shared, you would abandon me here at the first chance of...”

“I want you to come with me!” I yell back. The silence that follows is deafening. 

“You...what?”

“I want you to come with me,” I repeat. “It’s the perfect solution: you won’t be a threat to this Earth, won’t have to go to prison, and I won’t have to lose you.” 

“I highly doubt my brother will allow me to travel to another realm without some form of punishment.”

Running a hand through my disheveled hair, I sigh. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that. I’m still working on it...but I genuinely want you to come with me.” I plop onto the couch, watching him from across the room. “You were right when you said we were the same. I’ve lost too much and too many I care about. I can’t lose you too.”

Our conversation was interrupted by Jarvis’s voice over the intercom system. “Excuse me Ms. Tyler,  Mr. Stark requests your presence in an hours time.”

“Yes, yeah, right. Thank you Jarvis.” The computer didn’t say anything further. “I had hoped we would have more time,” I say with a sad smile.

“Come, let’s get you some nourishment before anything else.” His demeanor towards me has visibly changed. More guarded, as if he was mentally distancing himself.

We exist in tense silence for the next half hour, the only sounds coming from my silverware scraping the dishes. All the food available was pre-made frozen food, most of it gross looking. Although I had a pretty high tolerance for strange foods - due to the Doctor making me try all kinds of different alien food - just the sight of some of the frozen dishes made my stomach churn. I eventually decide on a potato and vegetable dish, popping it in the microwave until it was edible. Loki didn’t eat anything. 

Finally, I broke the silence. “You sure you don’t want to eat? You have to be starving!”

“Although your sentiment is touching, I think I will fare better to avoid that disgusting gruel. How can you even stomach it?”

“I got good at eating strange foods when I traveled on the Tardis.”

“The Tardis….I saw it in your memories, but I still don’t quite understand what it was.

“She’s a ship, the most amazing ship in any universe. Tardis stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. It’s not just a ship, but a time machine as well. Her interior exists as a separate dimension, which is how she can be a small blue police box on the outside but a neverending labyrinth of hallways and rooms on the inside.” 

“You speak like it’s alive.”

“She is alive. She’s completely sentient. Developed a psychic link with...with the Doctor. Travel in her long enough, and she eventually starts establishing a link. My connection was somewhat different…”

“Because you absorbed the Time Vortex?”

“I looked into the heart of the Tardis, and the Tardis looked into me. It should have killed me. Even a Time Lord couldn’t hold that much power.”

“Time Lord?” He interrupted. “I’ve heard of that species, an ancient and dusty race I had thought to be extinct.”

My voice softened, a sadness creeping into my tone. “They are, all but one. He’s the last of his kind, the only one left.”

“Miss Tyler,” Jarvis’s voice interrupted again. “I’m supposed to remind you that the Avengers are meeting in the penthouse in 15 minutes.”

“Guess I should put some real clothes on then,” I say, gathering up my dishes and placing them in the sink. “Do you want to come with me?”

“Do I really get a choice in the matter? My understanding was that I was their prisoner.”

“Twice I’ve had someone decide what happens to me without asking, I hate people making my decisions for me. Believe me, I will never do that. There is always a choice.”

“If I am to lose you soon…”

“Please, don’t say that,” I interject.

“Rose, I will have to return to Asgard. This may be my only chance to get in easily. But one day I will return for you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I was banished, but it’s where I belong. I was a king, and will be again.” He put a finger over my lips before I could respond. “Don’t try to convince me otherwise. My mind is already made up.”

“You’re not coming with me then?”

“I never said that.”

 

He was planning something, that much I could tell. And whatever it was, he had started physically distancing himself. Granted, that didn’t keep him from watching me like a hawk.

Leaning against the doorframe, his eyes follow me as I move around the bedroom, looking for something other than this robe to wear.

I wasn’t overly pleased with the selection of clothes. Tony had said he’d take care of it, yet all that I could find was a slightly baggy black t-shirt with a random band logo and a pair of khakis that were a few inches too long. I was half tempted to ask Loki to use magic for me just like he did for his armor, but decided against it. He’d probably make something green and completely ostentatious.  

Sometimes I could swear he was reading my thoughts. “You need only ask for my assistance and I’d gladly conjure up something more...suitable and fitting for you, little wolf.”

Sliding my boots on, I gave him a flirting smile, copying speech. “Yes, but I’m afraid you’d conjure either something incredibly hampering of my movement, or lacking in material to cover myself adequately.”

Feigning mock injury, he hold his hand over his heart. “You wound me, Rose, to think my intentions….less than pure.”

Sidling up to him, my hands on his chest, I give him a quick peck on the lips. “And what are your intentions towards me?”

“My offer still stands: you could rule by my side, defend the Earth and have a chance to see the stars again. If you truly feel the same for me,” he turned our bodies around, my back against the wall, his hands on my waist, “then I  _ intend _ on one day making you my queen.”

“Loki, I…” His lips captured mine in a kiss, desperate and passionate. Finally releasing me, I smile. “You know, eventually you’ll have to stop kissing me just because I say your name.”

“Ahh, but it sounds so good coming from your delicious lips.” He leans closer to whisper into my ear, “It sounds especially enticing when you scream my name in pleasure.”

I can feel my cheeks burning, as if the temperature in the room suddenly increased several degrees. Brushing my shirt collar aside, his mouth finds the place where my shoulder and neck meet, the bruise he’d left hours earlier already fading. “Looks like I’ll have to leave reminders here more often.”

If he’d continued any further, I might have needed a third shower. As it was, we were interrupted when the vault door opened, revealing the God of Thunder with a shocked expression. Taking a step away from Loki, I brush my hair behind my ear, willing the blush that was ever so prominent to disappear.

“Ahem, Rose, if I could have a word?”

“Um, yeah, sure, of course.” With a quick glance at Loki, I wander over to his half-brother. Loki’s face was smug, like he’d gotten away with touching something forbidden.

Outside the door, Thor’s face was serious, almost worried. “Rose, I need you to explain your actions. Loki is dangerous and your prisoner.”

I take a deep breath. I’d assumed this conversation was coming. “It’s hard to explain. I know he’s done horrible things, but I’m not much better. Believe it or not, I think we’re connected somehow.” 

“I just ask you to be careful. If what you say is true, you’ll have quite a hold over him, but he’ll have the same hold over you.”

“You’re kind of starting to scare me a little.” Warriness fills my voice.

“Although right now you are keeping him at bay, he is a master of trickery and deceit, and I fear he will use this bond for his own selfish purposes. With time and distance, there is a chance this connection will fade.”

His words sting. Thor thought so little of Loki that he believed he would use me to take over the Earth. “The rest of us, we have decided that it is safest for everyone on Earth if he returns home to Asgard with me.”

I sigh. “I was afraid of that. How much longer until...how long do we…”

He places a large hand on my shoulder. “We must return at once. I will give you a moment to say your goodbyes.”

I turn around, walking back into the safe room. Loki is waiting for me when I enter, presumably having heard the entire exchange. Seeing my face, he immediately rushes towards me, holding me close. 

“Everything will be alright, Rose. I know it’s hard to understand, but it will all make sense eventually.” Pulling back just slightly, he grips my chin with his fingers and tilts my face to look at his. “I will never forget you, and will come back for my queen when she needs me.” Lowering his voice so Thor wouldn’t hear, he whispers, “Go continue your search, if that is your purpose then I know there’s no stopping you. Use what’s inside you, you have more power than you know. My nieve brother thinks distance will make me forget you, but distance will just make the heart grow fonder.” 

“I can’t control this...what if I lose control? Without you…”

He reaches over and removes a green leather cuff from his arm and gently places it on mine. It’s old; the leather is soft and worn, with nordic symbols carved into the front. “This cuff is enchanted. It will help absorb your power should you feel yourself losing control.”

I couldn’t help but smile up at him, doing my best to hold back the tears that threaten to fall. Thor walks in, holding a pair of high-tech hand restraints. “Time to go home, brother.”

Reluctantly releasing me from his hold, he slowly stalks over to Thor, glaring at his brother but not uttering a word as he’s locked into the restraints. 

The elevator doors ping open and Mickey steps out. “Captain Rogers asked me to help escort you upstairs.”

It was a mostly silent elevator ride up, all of its occupants somber. Thor kept one hand on Loki’s arm, as if keeping him from escaping last minute, while the other hand gripped his hammer tightly. Mickey had pressed the button for the ground floor. “Where are we going?” 

“Stark didn’t want any more of his building ruined, suggested we go to an open area,” Mickey chuckles.

“He said to meet in a place called Central Park, and that we might find a fellow by the name of Shakespeare there.” Thor says, completely serious.

All it took was one look at Mickey and the tense silence evaporates as we both double over laughing. “I don’t believe I understand the jest…” says a confused Thor. 

“Shakespeare in the park!” We both just laugh harder. Even Loki cracks a small smile, but I suspect it was more at my amusement. 

“Is this fellow friend or foe?” Thor demands, frustrated now that we won’t stop laughing. 

“I do believe is was a joke at your expense, brother.” Even Loki’s mood seems to have lightened somewhat. Thor huffs at that and drags Loki out of the elevator as soon as the doors open. An SUV with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on the side was idling outside the door for us. Mickey hopped into the driver’s seat as Thor ushered Loki into the back with him, leaving the passenger seat for me.

Silence falls once again as we drive. I was becoming numb to the whole situation; after finally opening myself up again, the only being I had finally connected to in this world was being ripped away from me. I couldn’t let my emotions - that part of me that so desperately wanted to scream and cry - rule my mind as they threatened to throw me into the deep depression I had been so familiar with before.  _ I will see him again _ , I keep telling myself. Glancing in the side mirror, I could see Loki’s eyes watching me, never drifting away. Subconsciously, my hand drifts to the cuff he had given me, my fingers tracing the carvings. I feet a pit growing in my stomach as I realize that I don’t really know what to do next. My life with Torchwood may have been enough before, but it could never satisfy this new craving for adventure that had wormed its way back into me. Even despite the emotions and pure lust Loki stirred within me, the excitement and sense of danger surrounding him was enough to give me that familiar thrill I lived for.

I’m interrupted from my thoughts as the car pulls to a stop. Alongside several different cars were the rest of the Avengers, dressed and clean and looking well rested from the day before. Agent Romanov pulled a metal suitcase from the trunk of her S.H.I.E.L.D. car, carefully opening it to reveal the glowing Tesseract cube. Bruce carefully removes the cube, placing it into an alien looking tube with ornate handles on both ends. Steve just watches, glaring at the cube with hatred. Agent Barton was watching Loki with a similar look.

This was it then. It was time.

Thor escorts Loki to a clear center of the sidewalk. With the Asgardian portal in hand, he offers one side to Loki. Loki looks at me, and I nod my head. Reluctantly, he accepts the other handle.

With a nod to our little group, Thor twists the handle, casting both of them into a blue light before disappearing, a little piece of my heart going along with them.

Mickey sidles up next to me. “Now what babe?”

“Wish I knew, Mick.”

The rest of my teammates start setting out to go their separate ways. Agents Barton and Romanov ( _ I should really learn their first names _ ) get into their S.H.I.E.L.D. car. Steve straddles his motorcycle. And Bruce and Tony hop in one of Tony’s corvette convertibles. “I guess we go home?” I muse.

“Rose, Rickey, you two coming?” Tony calls out, his thumb pointing to his back seat.

“Oi, mate, it’s Mickey!” My best friend complains as he jumps into the backseat.

“Tony, where are we goin?”

He smiles like a sneaky child as he slides on his designer sunglasses. "Going to build a new home base for the team, since I have a feeling we’ll be working together alot now. You in?”

I smile at my friends, these people I had fought side by side with only hour earlier. “That’s a fantastic idea, Tony. Allons-y!”


End file.
